A Milestone Reached

 WooHOO!!!! 

Allie's grades for the first half of the year are submitted  We're about to turn in the 3rd quarter work samples.  Her transcript is looking strong.  Her FAFSA application is complete. She has written, edited and submitted a college application essay.  And TODAY? 

TODAY she uploaded the essay, added references, checked over the application again....added my credit card info to pay the fees....

and JUST.LIKE.THAT. Allie has applied to her first college! We are so proud of her. There may have been a bit of cheering.  

We aren't sharing which University she has applied to until we hear back. She does not have the 4 math credits (higher than Alg 1) which they require.  She, Michael and I decided it was important to her for her transcript to accurately reflect what she has done. Therefore, we rejected the suggestions of how to kinda/sorta, get 3 more math credits crammed into one year.  She was honest, admitted the weakness in her transcript and pointed out the steps she has taken to rectify the issue...taken Pre-Alg and Alg 1 in 1 1/2 years.  She asked to be accepted and to take remedial math to catch up. 

We couldn't be prouder of God's work in this gal! 

Yes, we have a plan B. She has about 4 more colleges she is considering and if this continues to be an issue, she will enroll in math classes at the local college and apply next year to her first choice as a transfer student. There is CERTAINLY more than one way to skin this cat. 

I had found this program and shared it with Allie. Allie's ASL tutor/mentor shared a list of colleges with good BA in ASL and Interpreting programs. The top program recommended from the community of interpreters is the college Allie and I had been researching. We encouraged Allie to apply to her number one choice now and see what God may do. 

This was a goal Allie hesitantly mentioned in the first months she joined us. We committed to helping her reach her goal...and it brings us GREAT JOY to see her actually APPLYING TO COLLEGES!

God is faithful. God is faithful when he works as we expected. God is faithful when "life" throws us a curveball and he works in ways we certainly didn't expect. We can trust him with the hard good in our lives.

Join us in rejoicing with Allie over this milestone reached. And then there's toilet paper...

Ah, the prodigal TP has returned....

Toddlers and Young Adults

Look who I got to hang out with this morning. 

I'm not sure if I mentioned it here, but Arielle is the new children's minister at Farm Loop Christian Center.  She will serve kids in K-5th grade with weekly Sunday School during 1st service and children's church at 2nd service.  It's been pretty exciting for us to see how God has taken Cory and Arielle's season of preparation and moved them both into ministry positions in the past few months. Arielle can do a lot of work from home but will be going into the church on Tuesdays. Today, I had breakfast with Danny and Benny. We played a game....and then Benny asked if we could watch a movie. He said it was scary and he'd need to hold my hand! My heart. Who could resist cuddling on the couch with a 4 yo and holding hands? We started watching Monsters and Aliens - but never finished. 

Danny was quite proud of being able to walk in my shoes! They are pretty special crocs! 

Toilet Paper shenanigans continue - at least the TP has moved back to the proper room. LOL 

Most afternoons last week and this week have found Allie and I at the table. We're crossing things of "the list." Today, we finished the FAFSA. She's pretty excited to see her goal within her reach. Those are the Allie folders...11th and 12th grade, college stuff and tax stuff. LOL 

It's been a day full of paperwork and checking things off lists. We managed to finish Stacia's taxes.  Stacia is busy trying to line up interviews with Food Truck and Cafe owners. The girls needed to conduct interviews of those in various career fields they are considering. I know she's lined up an interview with a baker and kitchen manager. She's working on a cafe owner. The food truck has been a bit harder to nail down. 

Into ever Junior/Senior's life a bit of SAT prep must fall. The girls are spending lots of hours prepping for their first run at the SAT. 

This is what March looks like here. The snow is slowly melting. Our deck railing had frost this a.m. instead of snow.  We've got a ways to go before the snow is gone...or bulbs begin to sprout. BUT our days are up to 10 hours of sunlight...

Stacia and Allie went for an outside walk today. I longed to join them, but Michael was gone, and no one was here to stay with Grandpa. I am DETERMINED to work out a schedule so I can begin doing miles outside again. I LOVED this for the mental health as much as anything else. Stacia ran Millie around until she was so tired, she simply plopped down for the evening. 

It's been a great Tuesday - which for some reason - felt like a Monday. 

LOOK Who Is Here!

I have a bad habit of running around without a coat when it hits 20* which sometimes leads to sniffles.  I came down with a bit of congestion on Saturday. I stayed home as it seems the loving thing to do with so many worried about the big C.  Michael, the kids and Grandpa went to church. Can you IMAGINE? While I know many would give anything to have a home as bustling as ours, for just this morning, I totally enjoyed the silence...no call bells, no laundry, no noise at all. Blessed silence. I had home church - and it was good. 

I was refreshed and READY for all the people who popped up the rest of the day. 

Josiah and Livie met Michael and the girls for lunch. They actually showed up here at home before the rest of the gang. It was nice to spend an hour or so catching up.  Their inspection and appraisal are complete, with no hiccups! I think they're right on track to close in a couple of weeks on their darling home. 

Allie and I had a zoom with her ASL mentor. She is working one on one in order to pass the Sign Language Proficiency Exam. This is a hoop Allie needs to jump through on her way to her future.  I am AMAZED how God is placing the right people in our path at just the right time. I wasn't happy with the suggested ASL course last summer and went in search of other options. We took a chance on one others recommended. Everyone I met had used it for elementary, no one for high school. In the midst of completing not only the course I signed her up for, but three others, Allie caught the eye of some folks placed fairly prominently in the local deaf community. They are excited to help Allie prepare for her future. During the zoom I was told if we joined a different charter school, we would get a $4200 allotment for Stacia next year. We currently get $2400. I'm not sure if we'll switch. Things to think about. 

Look who also showed up? 

WHAT? Jared is here? Yes, Jared is up this week for his job. He will be spending the time in Eagle River with Jamin, but Jamin is in Florida and so we got him for tonight. Krista picked him up and brought him out, so we got a bit of connecting time with her as well.  

Bre and the kids called and asked if they could come over tonight. OF COURSE.  Laughing, games, talking, ice cream - all the fun. It was good. 

Annie (3) ran right to Jared. She gives the BEST hugs (below). Jared had asked Bella how old she is now, "Almost six." 

Annie jumped into Jared's arms and said, "I'm almost 6!" 

Three? Almost six? It does go in the blink of an eye!

 It turned into a great day! The first day of a new week! 

Worth Waiting For

Some things are worth putting in the lock box....and some things are worth the wait.  I came home Tuesday with Girl Scout cookies. I confessed to eating a BOX of them on the way home. That is not acceptable for a pre-diabetic.  I handed Michael the remaining boxes and told him I was no good on my own. 

This worked. Stacia was eager to try the new kind...brownie/Caramel....only 9 minutes to go! LOL 

Crafting with Baachan - Sorta

 One thing led to another, as it often does. I had been thinking about the need to run to the next town over to buy some crafting supplies. I didn't really want to leave the house.  I pulled out some crocheted snowflakes I purchased on 75% clearance last month and wasn't 100% happy with them. I remembered the big roll of newsprint Michael had gotten for us when we picked up rolls for the grands....

Millie had to get in the middle of my project. 

I set Stacia to work cutting, cutting, cutting. 

Allie made these snowflakes and then cut it into 3 strands. 

Did you guess what we made? An Iditarod Tree. March means the Iditarod. Our outside Christmas lights will be up until the last dog reaches Nome.  Bre and Arielle both took their trees down in the last week or so. I heard regret and so resisted taking mine down. LOL  It was covered with buffalo check burlap and red hearts....as we contemplated what our March tree should look like we settled on the Iditarod over St. Patrick's Day. 

Cutest tree topper yet

Working on this brought home all the school supplies we gave away when we thought we were moving to Japan. I could sure use a nice laminator now! 

We aren't sure if this will be the last tree of the year...spring arrives on March 20th....maybe we'll take the tree down when the last dog reaches Nome....and put it up again in the fall. LOL 

Moving Forward as We Look Back

Our weather has warmed up! We are in the 30's and 40's this week. The girls enjoyed lunch on the deck. The sad reality about warm temps and rain is this is the season of ICE which will soon turn to mud...but then comes SUMMER...after break-up.  

It was a blessing to have CyRi visit - all THREE members of CyRi. We love visiting with Josiah and Livie, but Carrie has been working a lot of weekends.  They came out for lunch Saturday (the 19th). Carrie had to work that evening, and we surely appreciate the effort she made to come visit. They are in the process of purchasing a lovely home in Eagle River.  I didn't take a single picture. 

We enjoy our winter routine. The girls spend an hour or two most afternoons writing. Both are working on ambitious projects. Stacia is nearing the end of her novel and is a bit sad to bring it to its conclusion. She is mapping out the 2nd book in the series now. Millie is happy to have the girls in the living room. So am I. I have been reminding everyone summer is coming, and when it arrives, they will be outside working in the yard...for now, we write and read and play board games. 

The cups of hot chocolate are getting quite fancy. This cuppa was spectacular but melted a bit before I grabbed my phone. 

Let's see...games! The girls, Michael and I played board games. We tried a new one called This, That and Everything.  We opted to simply quiz each other rather than play a "game." 

The girls were happy to attend youth group in person this week. I was thrilled to be back with women face to face. Our first local discussion from The Hard Good went well. The girls (and Bible Babes) and I are now halfway through the study and still finding it applicable in unexpected ways. 

Allie spent some time working with Lady, BreZaak's German Shepherd, this week. 

The girls have created action plans from their Career and College planning class. Michael and I are going over them with each girl. Allie is closer to college than Stacia by a year. We've spent some time exploring college programs. Allie took her first college tour this week (virtual as the campus is not nearby).  I sure wish all these virtual options had been available when I was a senior in Manila exploring options in America. We are in the midst of evaluating various ASL/Interpreter programs. Beyond the action plan, both girls are preparing to conduct interviews with those who currently work in the career fields they are considering. 

We also "watched" Lost. We tend to fast forward through intense spots and have skipped a couple of entire episodes. However, we are enjoying it - and enjoying the conversations which spring from it. I simply plug my ears and close my eyes for the more intense scenes. When the recliners are pulled around, we know it's time to watch an episode. This week we set the "rule" that no episode may begin after 8:15 p.m. 

Yes, I DO still have a tree up! 

Into every life a few rotten lemons must come. I've been thinking about spoilage as I volunteer at co-op. Note how spoilage spreads through contact. This seems to illustrate the age-old admonition, "Do not be misled, bad company corrupts good character." 1 Cor 15:33 (NIV) Of course there is room for being salt and light IN the world, but I have learned it pays to give attention to Scripture.  I'm still pondering this as well as the needs in our community and researching what we may be able to do to impact this same community. 

No, we did not pay for this box of lemons. These came this way from Wholesome Food Co-op, and we received a refund for them.

I made up a couple of boxes of produce to deliver to CoRielle and BreZaak. I'd share with other Gherkins, but they don't live nearby. Of course, delivering produce has the added bonus of visiting these darling grandblessings.  While at CoRielle's, I worked on a painting project with Benny. 

 

A day later I collected hugs and snuggles from Gideon and Annie at BreZaak's. 

 

The kids were happy to display a bit of their schoolwork.  They are doing so well this year. 

Is it springtime in your area? The hint of spring has arrived. I'm not totally convinced winter is done with us. We don't really do spring in Alaska; we do break-up.  The packed snow in our driveway has turned to ICE.  Michael cuts channels across the way to get the water to flow, he also sprinkles gravel, ashes and sand on the thing...it's a mess!

I've learned a new tip. I carry a little bucket of sand and gravel and throw it in front of me as I walk up the driveway or around the chicken yard. The chicken yard is a sloppy mess right now. There are still a few feet of snow over most of it; the part under the roof is muddy (as snow melts and runs into the spot), and the walk into and out of the yard is pure ice...You simply haven't felt an adrenaline rush until you've slid a few feet with fresh eggs in your hands. 

Spring cleaning involves a bit of snow. 

Alex beats the rug from their room 

The week has been filled with subtle pranks. It's the Gherkin way of TP'ing...it began with a stack of paper left on the back of the toilet by one of the girls after cleaning the bathroom. Then "someone" stacked them in a different spot in the bathroom. This has gone on for weeks. It was noted NOLAN was the someone messing with the TP pyramid.  One morning they were stacked on a little table outside the bathroom. WHAT? A traveling TP pyramid?  Here, the girls "TP" the guys' room...I caught them in the act when I went down to see how that college prep stuff was going. ::snort:: 

Nolan retaliated by stacking the TP on the chair lift. Unfortunately, Michael didn't realize what was going on and took the TP hostage - he moved it to our bathroom. He thought it simply was waiting to go up the stairs. This was a fair assumption.  We are all on the edge of our seats to see where it will turn up next. 

I discovered 1/4 case of green beans was more than we would eat in two weeks. I took some to both girls and decided to can the rest. I got 6 pts of organic green beans on the shelves. We can enjoy them without binging on them in one week. 

Six pints does not fill up the canner. I added 10 pts of rice...all now cooked and canned.  Why? Well, it IS handy to add to soups or stir fries. I've also discovered it's a time saver for camping meals...simply make the Chicken Divan or Hawaiian Chicken to serve over the rice.  I've been meaning to open a jar and try to make some rice balls. I have molds but don't have sticky rice. This is a bit sticky. 

In other news, Stacia is now having two tutoring sessions a week with her Japanese teacher. One of Stacia's personal goals is to be able to quickly hear and respond conversationally in Japanese. Allie will shortly begin tutoring with her ASL teacher who is an ASL Interpreter.  Allie has finished 3 years of high school level ASL and a class on Deaf Culture this school year.  The plan with one-on-one tutoring is to help accelerate her march to fluency and passing various competencies she will need for future college programs. It will also help her move into "flowing in ASL."  Her teacher has noted her most recent videos are starting to show the flow.  This is the moment when an interpreter is thinking and signing ASL rather than translating English into ASL.  The way I understand it, when one speaks ASL, one speaks in meanings rather than strict word-for-word translation. 

Dad had a TIA (mini-stroke) after I blogged last Friday. This led to a few days of craziness, but he has mostly regained the ground he lost. He is doing well and looking forward to church on Sunday. 

Nolan's work schedule has changed from closing to openings! He is working the same number of hours, but we see him much more. I think the closing may be easier with his college schedule. In any event, it has been wonderful to have everyone home for dinner all week. 

Alex has decided he wants to continue working while he works towards his next goals.  He called his supervisor and asked to begin working again and is back on early mornings this week. 

Another busy week is concluding.  I've only to make a pot of smoky salmon chowder and then slide into the weekend. 

Our Golden Child

...the one where Nolan is deemed to be our Golden Child.

The girls have been working through Sonlight Curriculum's Career and College Planning kit as we explore options for their future. Larry Burkett's, "Finding the Career that Fits You," and Lee Binz', "The Home Scholar's Guide to College Admission and Scholarships" form the foundation of this 1/2 credit course. Michael and I have been impressed by the solid info provided.  As we look ahead to the SAT we discussed adding College Prep Genius to the mix. College Prep Genius was the foundation of Nolan's "Post-Secondary Prep" credit. As we all talked around the table last week, we realized there are solid test taking strategies Nolan learned from College Prep Genius which continue to benefit him. The girls' course is more well-rounded but adding this aspect will make it even stronger. The ILP I'd written included SAT prep in the description so it would be easy to add College Prep.  They are both finishing other course work; it seemed doable to add this to their school load.

 In our February discussion with our IDEA contact teacher, she brought up adding College Prep Genius for the girls. Confirmation. We set about adding this to their workload, never guessing it would result in Nolan being titled the "Golden Child."

Golden Child of the Week 

Years back I handed the link to Nolan. He registered, downloaded the material, and completed the course. He remembers enough of the course to motivate us to use it again. We switched to the Sonlight course with Alex as the focus is more on exploring the student's strengths, interests, personality and matching that to various careers, than simply taking the SAT. It is from a solid Christian perspective and so we, rather than IDEA, purchased it.  I added the previous bit lest one thinks IDEA paid for Christian curriculum. ::snort:: 

We were homeschooling more kids when Nolan took College Prep Genius. This year we are down to 2 students. I have been investing more time in the career/college prep process with the girls. Wednesday afternoon found both girls upstairs with their laptops. I gave them the link and instructed them to register for College Prep Genius. 

I swear the devil entered their laptops. TWO HOURS LATER we finally had both girls registered, paid for and we fully expected to cruise through the course.  Stacia made a witty quip about 12 hours of school. I apologized for adding 2 hours to the day but expressed puzzlement as "Nolan simply registered," and we have no memory of a 2 hour ordeal. 

Totally staged photo of Stacia and Allie

Today, it was time to begin the program. Stacia came upstairs and complained she couldn't find the lessons. I helped her find her starting spot. I also discussed with Nolan his memories of the course. 

Allie came up later and commented there were 13 videos in lesson 1 and she needed to print some booklets. 

Stacia came up and informed me she needed to print out a workbook. 

At dinner College Prep came up. Allie said she spent three hours on lesson 1. Stacia spent two hours on the same material. A bit of motherly investigating revealed Stacia realized she could take the quizzes and skipped the later videos. Um...the course's purpose IS to teach one how to quickly navigate the SAT. We couldn't fault her strategy, though Allie was slightly indignant. ::snort:: 

At this point we were all laughing. I AGAIN noted I was surprised this was so hard. NOLAN simply registered himself and took the course. He read the booklets in his ereader. I didn't remember grousing, 15 books to print, or hours long sessions. 

Allie quipped, "NOLAN is the Golden child."  ::snort::

I responded, "He is certainly the Golden child of the week." One thing led to another, and we officially awarded Nolan the title. There is talk of adding a section to the downstairs bulletin board to honor the child of the week. We laughed until we cried. 

In the process we remembered Nolan had a LIGHT senior year. When we registered with IDEA, we were told he had too many credits. He was missing health and Alaska history and had to take a senior year rather than graduating early. We added in the college prep and a couple of business courses.  He did a lesson a WEEK rather than a lesson a day. He never complained about the pace, I assumed the course was set up by days...I think we have the kinks worked out now. 

Shew. The challenge was unexpected, but it led to merriment and lively dinner talk around the table!