Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Wednesday of Wedding Week

Larissa is here! We are so happy to have her here for crunch time.  She ran to the feed store and got hay bales. We will be using the bales at the wedding.  

Meanwhile,  Arielle,  Allie and I unloaded the green trailer and Stacia watched kids.    We found a lot of Krista's things to take to her.  We were  searching for  vintage suitcases and my mothers wedding dress.  Tonight was Krista's bachelorette party. Her matron of honor, Arielle, was throwing it and wanted it to be easy for her. We planned to all meet on base. One of "games" was to dress the bride. We all purchased outfits for Krista to model. I bought a look,  but I thought it would be fun to take Mom's dress too. We opened the trailer with great hope - which lasted about .5 second. 



We looked and looked.  We unpacked the whole trailer and didn't find it. We repacked the trailer. I did find some end tables and an antique typewriter to move  inside. I found a ton of old clothes to wash and donate and towels to wash and keep. 

We went inside and looked under the stairs and in closets, no dress. We FINALLY found it in the CRAFT CLOSET. Why? 

The girls and I and Larissa drove over to meet Arielle, Bre, and JoJo. We caravanned to the base. We knew there'd be a wait to get visitor passes for the older girls, but we didn't know it would take one hour to get the passes. When we all met up at Krista's  Arielle got busy putting decorations and plates out. We enjoyed a fantastic Puerto Rican meal cooked by Maria. 

Jojo was the only boy at the party



Brittany had planned some fun games. We played wedding trivia and opened gifts.


 By far the highlight of the night was our bride modeling the "looks" we had created for her. I did not name the looks....their creators did. 
Pirate Bride 

Married Woman 

Amish Bride

NOW - THIS is the dress that came for me from China. Stacia and Allie bought accessories to go with it and named it the Tacky Bride look. LOL 
Tacky Bride


There was a Trashy Bride look - which will not be posted online. Krista gamely modeled. 
80's Bride 

This suitcase was my mother in laws. I packed the Vintage Bride (my Mom's dress) in the suitcase. 

 The  creator of the winning look was given the prize of putting our bride's makeup on for her. 

Um...green concealer - NOT the lipstick I believed it to be. 

The moment they removed my blindfold. 

I guess "I" won't be doing her wedding makeup. LOL 

This is the moment we realized BRE is taller than ME.  I suspected we were about the same - but the others say, "Not so."  My shoulders are certainly higher than hers...hmmm...maybe we'll call for a re-match. LOL 

The Sisters - frozen in this moment. 
Stacia (nearly 16), Bre (36), Krista (34), Arielle (24)



And then we figured out how to get a photo of all of us....Carrie and Brittany had already left.....

It was a really fun night, and I was so happy to be a part of it. Krista has got to be the most laid-back bride I have met. 

When we begin the evening it said there was a 40% chance of rain during The Wedding. By the end of the evening it said there was a 30% chance of rain. We're still praying for a sunny day Saturday.

June's Randomness

 It would appear I lost a couple of weeks at the start of June....what with school and the wedding and SUN and all. Y'all the SUN. I simply must be outside as much as possible. I AM Vit D deficient (taking 50K of those puppies to get normal)....and it seems I crave to be OUT....so I am. LOL  

Here is one of those catch-up random posts...things I thought I'd capture and share but never got around to sitting INSIDE at the keyboard...I need to bring back campfire blogging. It worked great when we lived in the RV. LOL 

There have been NO canning lids in Alaska.  Add the interupption of our supply routes to the shortage the whole country is facing and I was worried. I'd ordered online and got nothing. I was HAUNTING Walmart and 3 Bears and both told me they simply didn't think they'd get them.....a dear friend in GA - bought a whole flat rate box full and shipped them up to me. It was STILL the same price I would have paid if I could get them here.... Thanks, Beth. I've already dug into these to can salmon. 

Millie, as a poodle, standing guard as Stacia bakes

We had a load of organic compost/dirt delivered....many hours have been spent hauling this dirt to various garden beds. 

It never fails - when I begin to cook...Millie comes running with her toys. 

Alex had his wisdom teeth removed! He was amazing. 

I went in for a consult and agreed to have mine out in September. That's still a long ways off. 

Hail on June 6th. 



Stacia and I have moved our weekly study outside! 


Danny's smiles brighten any season. 

Buying peanut butter in bulk leads to kitchen adventures. THIS time my phone was not covered in nut butter. 

Stacia juiced a case of lemons so we'd have concentrate to make lemonade for bridal showers, wedding and life....audio books make most jobs more pleasant. 

I still have a few June posts I think I'll do separately: Michael's ongoing project, the first mowing and Krista's bridal shower....Summers are delightfully full up here. We recharge all winter. LOL 

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Tuesday of Wedding Week

Have I mentioned it's wedding week????

Krista had an off base activity all day out here in the Valley. She dropped Maria off at our house and she, I and the girls went shopping. We made a run to Three Bears for reception items, then home to  store things in the fridge and freezer. We picked up gift cards here and there. We shopped for accessories to complete the girls' wedding look - this required four stops. We enjoyed lunch together. 

We got Stacia and Allie's hair cut. I am still debating WHAT I want to do with my hair. My last thyroid funk (started a new dose a couple of months ago) found my hair falling out by the fistfuls.  Stacia miscommunicated with Hershey - but she ended up with a look that is going to be cute. LOL 


This isn't a great picture of either of them - but hey - it's what I got. 

Don't they look cute? Hershey did a great job. 

Krista called and was done.  We met her at home, decided what to do with all the things.  She and Maria left for home. 

Michael took Dad to a Physical Therapy appt. I cried a little bit when they said he will have 2 appts a week for the foreseeable future. It's tiring to age. LOL The goal is for him to be able to catch himself when he falls. He is falling when he standing at sinks, counters, the fridge...and the walker is beside him. The last time I watched him rotate a tiny bit to put ice in his cup and he started to fall. He  goes down, instead of catching himself on the fridge, the counters etc. He sees this as the walker not working - but every fall has been when the walker is beside him and he's trusting counters etc and his core strength....so we need to increase balance and core strength. Every therapist and doctor has said since BEFORE his surgery he needs to use the walker. He had multiple falls down stairs and outside before the surgery. He's having less falls now as he is receiving 24/7 supervision.  Dad is not happy about going back to therapy...but he doesn't continue the exercises at home. There's a message in here for me and my workout routine. LOL 

I was THANKFUL a roast had been in the slow cooker all day. The girls set the table and cut up a melon. I prepped asparagus, carrots, fingerling potatotes and cauliflower. 

I was just about ready to call everyone in, when my phone rang, and Michael said, "It's crunch time - can you send a few more pair of hands out?" 

Remember that lathe Michael purchased? It's been in the back of his truck, where it had been placed by an engine lift at its original home. Jared and Michael have been busy today moving trailer and RV. They also moved pallets to the garage, pulled the truck in, and used planks to move the lathe to the top of the pallets. Michael, Jared, Alex and Nolan lifted the lathe, while Allie and Stacia pulled a pallet out. They set it down and repeated...until the lathe is settled nicely on the floor in the garage. 



With that chore completed we had dinner.  Michael went out to finish up moving  things around. I went to the garden thinking I'd do a bit of weeding and watering. I felt an odd drop and realized it was rain and then iBURSTt burst from the sky. A heavy downpour - a gully washer. I was stuck in the greenhouse. When I got cold enough I made a run for the house.  Millie was in sad shape. She wanted out to potty but didn't want to get wet. LOL 

We are praying for a window of sunshine for KrUke's wedding on Saturday. The forecast calls for 50% rain. I figure God can deal with the numbers.  Care to pray with us? 

Nolan got called into work - ridiculous. Jared ran to Anchorage to pick up Larissa.  Michael went to bed. The girls watched some Netflix. 

Monday, June 28, 2021

Watching Grands

 Michael and I didn't get to take advantage of respite time last week.  This week I had agreed to help Bre out during our normal time. I thought this would be o.k. - but it wasn't. It turns out taking respite care for a caregiver to go watch grands isn't really respite - or some such thing. SO....Arielle agreed to come early and Michael and I went out to breakfast. Then we drove around an area of town we haven't explored before and found a great place for cross country skiing next winter....a long, long time from now. 

Michael swung by and picked up a chai tea for me and then dropped me at BreZaak's. Bre took Jojo and Bella for well child check ups....and vaccines. Bella is old enough to anticipate what is happening. This was a game changer. Poor thing. I can guarantee Annie, Gideon and I had more fun at home. 


I think we must have played with all the "special play" toys. We played with kinetic sand. 

And SLIME! What's with SLIME? Gideon was NOT impressed and it took us about 8 wipes to get it all off his hands....

meanwhile, iM the other part of the house Annie explored with makeup...such an artistic use of eyeshadow. 

We had a blast. We played until we dropped - and then Bre was pulling into the driveway with the brave kiddos. We'll switch kids and repeat in August....

I threw a frozen pot roast into the instant pot. Just as it was time to start prepping veggies, Michael came in and said he thought we were having Dutch Babies for dinner. Ooops. He had suggested that last week for dinner...and we didn't make it happen.  He had mentioned it again last night and I forgot....we were happy to switch gears. Breakfast for dinner it was....and I'll put the roast in the slow cooker when we leave at 0900 to shop for wedding things. This worked out well. 

I stole a few moments to sit in the garden. The seeds Stacia and I planted last week are just starting to germinate. OK - only THREE have sprouted but there are sure to be more. LOL 

We had a rousing conversation around the table...sharing our memories of "The Tohoku Quake and Tsunami." We are all aching to go back for a visit. Stacia would like to do a gap year in Japan. Anyway - we had fun remembering....and then it was nearly 10 p.m. 

I did a bit of bookwork it's hard to find for during the day and then Nolan was pulling into the driveway and it was after 11 p.m.  

G'Nite all - but really I should say moring as I'm 30 minutes into the new day...and need to take Alex to work in 4 hours. LOL 



Sunday, June 27, 2021

"Michael's" Project

In 2019 we visited the Pyran Farm (which I still haven't blogged). Michael noted their high wind tunnels and the corn growing under them. 

He spent considerable time researching, thinking, and doodling this winter. I knew he was thinking of how to grow corn up here. We priced kits new and used.  His doodling grew into plans and a shopping list. 


I didn't fully grasp what he was talking about...but he made a jig which looked rather interesting.  He bought PVC pipe, sand and clamps.  He made a plug.  On May 18th this was my view from the table. 

I finally understood the vision. He cut the pipe into various links. Grandpa spent May 19th cutting and sanding pipes. 


Michael used the propane turkey fryer to heat up sand, they poured the sand into the pipes and then bent them around the jig and left them to cool off. 

Alex's help was enlisted
 
May 24th proved Michael could find a job for anyone who wanted to help out.  Benny's assistance was enlisted.
 GG and Benny working on "Papa's job" 

Things began to take shape. This man is determined to grow corn in Alaska. 


Our timing was off. Michael worked to get this done as soon as the weather was nice enough to be outside, but I needed to be able to plant by June 1st.  All his time was going to here and THIS is why we didn't get much of the garden tilled and planted this summer. I planted the beds. If I had a realistic idea of this project, I would have hired someone to till the potato and corn patches...or to burn the weeds in the spring or something. 



It began to take recognizable shape on May 27th. 

Allie and Stacia spent a lot of time helping in this phase of the build. 





On June 21st Michael and Allie began covering the frame with plastic. 

Looking good

The kids came over for Father's Day on June 27th. They all got together and moved the "greenhouse" to the spot where we grow corn. Unfortunately, it was too late to start corn. I already had my seedlings planted into beds...but we are set up nicely for the garden of 2022. 


Michael left the ends open so the wind would blow through it this year and not tear it apart. In the spring, he'll put the ends back on it. I may put some heat in it and use it to start seeds. It may well cover our corn rows this year...it's worth a try.  It currently houses much of our yard furniture and garden tools etc.  It's Dec 30th and it's withstanding the winter wind and snow fairly well. 

This was a great unifying project. Everyone had a part in its creation. Michael has the plans and jig to make more. It IS sturdier than the kits we saw, and it cost less to build too.... free labor is always a bonus in these situations.😏

I envision lush green growing in the garden, arches with beans and roses growing over the top, a gazebo for summer visitors...and all this white plastic was not in my vision. BUT if we want to GROW many things we NEED the hoop houses and tunnels. There you have it. I'm still trying to figure out how to make the garden a lovely spot of refreshment as well as a functioning garden.