Firsts-In-February

February has been a month of many firsts for us here in Alaska! Some good, some not so good!

GOOD:

We got to see the Northern Lights last night! Practically in our backyard! David was home sick and I was driving home after picking Gwyneth up from AWANA. I spotted some "smoke" in the sky, but it looked kind of green. I have been anticipating seeing this magnificent beauty that I told myself not to get too excited. As I got further away from the "city" lights I could see that it was not smoke afterall! It was the Northern Lights! I was SO excited, I was loudly telling Gwyneth "Look! Look! Look!" I quickly phoned David, who I am sure thought I'd lost my mind! I told him to bundle up, we were going OUT to get some pictures of it! What an incredible sight! I would have stayed out there till they faded away, if my fingers hadn't frozen on me! It was easily -20° at the time!
NOT SO GOOD:
We experienced our first earthquake. (4.8 Magnitude) Well, I did anyway. David and Gwyneth slept through it!
GOOD:
We sighted a bit of wildlife; a fox in the dawn of morning taking David to work, and a moose! Gwyneth was at a birthday party and David and I were parked out front of the house waiting until it was time to pick her up. David said "Moose!" (Remember we're in a neighborhood here, so I think he's kidding and some guy has a moose figurine on his tow hitch or something.) I look to my left and behold the biggest animal on four legs I have ever been that close to! I was awestruck! It started to cross the street right in front of us! Only one car length away! I was so surprised I didn't happen to notice if it was a male of female! One of the girls at the party must have spotted it too, because all the little 6 year old girls came running out onto the porch squealing with delight!(They were well enough away from the moose as not to get hurt.)
NOT SO GOOD:
The camera we bought to carry everywhere with us for such a time as this was laying on the computer desk waiting for me to clear the memory card! AHHH!! So no pictures of our first moose!
GOOD: (but not really Alaska related)

I finished my very first knitted scarf! It has many flaws, and is made from cheap, itchy acrylic yarn, but it's ALL mine, and finished!
NOT SO GOOD:
David had to be away at school in Anchorage for two weeks the beginning of this month. It's the first time we have been exasperated since he was in Korea four years ago. It is nothing compared to what many men and women in the military go through, but it was lonely just the same! We missed him and were very happy when he was home again!
GOOD:
"Breakup" is closer than it was in January! Ha!
NOT SO GOOD:
We saw -42°! The coldest morning we've felt since we moved here! (And yes, we were out in it! Gwyneth had gymnastics and then we went to the library.)

3 comments Alaska Life, knitting

Share:

Ugh! I did it again!

Yesterday I went into the local grocery store to purchase a couple items that are cheaper than at the commissary. I went in without a list, on a Friday evening...two no-no's right there...
I come to the produce section and see a crowd gathered around the pineapples...what's the deal.? I read the sign hanging from the display: "$1.79" SCORE! Pineapple for a $1.79 I grab one up!

Today I am entering our receipts in the checkbook and glance at the entry for "pineapple....3.39lb. @ $1.79/lb, $6.05" WHAT?!
Do you think their return policy covers produce? *sigh*

I have an awesome recipe to try with it though. WE ARE GOING TO LOVE EVERY BITE OF THIS PINEAPPLE!
Maybe I'll even weave a basket from the top leaves. HA!

*P.S.* The recipe above comes from my new *favorite* show Take Home Chef. Gwyneth will even stand to watch it with me. I think she even has a little crush on Curtis, even though she has no clue what a "crush" is. I was on the site last night looking for the above recipe and she saw a picture of him and said "I really like his hair!" "He's so handsome!"
Awww...

2 comments

Share:

Scarf

I finally started on my very first scarf last week. I took three days off of knitting it as I thought I had messed it up. After those three days I couldn't stand it anymore and just picked it back up and knit away. I have to accept imperfection every now and then, and to tell you the truth I can even find my "mistake" now...
It's a simple pattern, but time consuming. It will take a while to get it as long as I want. MANY MANY rows of stitches! But I am enjoying it, and looking forward to the many more projects I want to attempt!

1 comment knitting

Share:

terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

...well evening anyway.

The good news about Silly Putty is that it's nontoxic. The bad news is that Silly Putty -- now in Original, Glow-in-the-Dark, Glitter, Changeable and Bright colors --does not make a good set of ear plugs!

We found this out on Monday night. Gwyneth just HAD to have the cool, purple, color changing, silly putty. She had a great time rolling it into a ball, watching it turn from purple to pink with the warmth of her hands, bouncing it on the floor and chasing after it in Blockbuster... but all the fun ended when we were walking out of Walmart and she says to me "Mommy I can't get this out!..." I look behind me and behold the above sight! She told me she thought the putty would make nice ear plugs. (Huh?!) Standing near the exit at Walmart I made a feeble attempt to take the putty out. No luck... So I told her no matter what do NOT touch it anymore while we make the drive home. We get home and I am at a loss as to how to remove this gunk from her hair without cutting it! I get a little out by just pulling, thank goodness my sweet little girl is not tender headed. Then I got the brilliant idea to look it up on the internet! Aha! PAM should do the trick! Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, PAM, the cooking spray! Makes sense?! So I butter up my little dear's hair, what a greasy mess...but alas! PAM did the trick! No scissors were involved in the removal of the silly putty!

We also returned home to two dead fish. Yeah! Now these are technically David and Gwyneth's fish, but I have been the one feeding them twice a day, and they just happen to decide to die when David is away at school for two weeks. hmmm...(Can you tell I am not very fond of fish?) So I had the wonderful task of fishing them out and disposing of them...all before dinner...I didn't have much of an appetite after all this. (this paragraph is not intended to offend any fish lovers out there...just venting.)

But...this made it all good. My new stash of very cool ribbon, snagged at awesome prices! My moods are easily lifted! ha! And I also picked up a knitting kit to start my scarf project!

2 comments

Share:

Happy Valentine's Day!

I have to admit, I really got into Valentine's Day this year. At least for all of the kids Gwyneth encounters in the course of a week. We made Valentines on the computer with a kit you can get HERE . So much fun! We made little 3.5x2.5 Valentines to attach a piece of candy to.

She handed these out at AWANA last night! LOVED it! She only received two Valentines, but I prepared her beforehand by telling her it is more fun to give than receive. :o) She was so excited to hand them out!

We also did something a little more special for the girls in her gymnastics class. Being a MUCH smaller class enabled us to pick out candy and goodies and make treat bags. Complete with toppers made from the above mentioned kit.
We stuffed the baggies with candy, a Strawberry Shortcake pencil, a little Lisa Frank notebook, and a fashion ring. Gwyneth loved picking the items out at Walmart. They came out costing a little over $2 a bag. We made 8 total.

David and I don't really get into Valentine's Day. I think small gestures when they're least expected are more exciting. I'd much rather receive some chocolate on an average day than only one day out of the year! :o)

But in the spirit of love, here is a photo of David and I back in December!

Have a happy day!

2 comments

Share:

Progress?

(if you can't tell which one is before and after, then I may just jump off a cliff! ha!)

So after examining my sorry excuse for a dishtowel yesterday, I determined I needed more practice...so I made another one. Much better this time. It actually resembles a washcloth!
Near the very end I was getting anxious and excited that I might actually finish this one without any mistakes...then it happened...I picked up an extra stitch on accident. Pooie!
So I have decided when I get anxious and excited, I need to take a break and breath...then come back fresh and finish...So I am going to make another towel today.
I want to attempt a scarf next, but figure one more dishtowel and I'll be ready!
Cheers!

Oh, and just a silly picture from last night. While cleaning up the bathroom after her bath I sent her to put on her pajamas...she comes back and says "I need help, I've forgotten how to put on my pajamas." Silly girl! She had the bottoms on her head and the top on her legs!
And the fuuny thing she said to me when I grabbed my camera: "Oh, you're going to take a picture of me and put it on that online thing?" Hmmm...she knows me very well!

1 comment

Share:

knitting brownies & setting up home

As I type the smell of freshly baked brownies wafts up to the second floor. Mmmm...Of course they're nothing fancy, just a box mix, with a few extra ingredients...chocolate chips and walnuts. I had a craving for chocolate. Brownies always satisfy my chocolate cravings. Gwyneth helped mix them up. She is getting pretty good at cracking the eggs. We've had a few messes. ha! I think she's getting the hang of it though.

Today has been a fairly productive/relaxing day. I finished knitting my dishtowel I started back in November. It looks horrible! I can't count how many times I dropped stitches! Ugh. But it's a start. I checked out a book from the library to refresh my memory of how knitting is done, but perhaps the most helpful item I checked out was a pretty dated video with a french man teaching the basics of knitting. I am a visual learner. I have to see it being done to really grasp the concepts.

I also figured out how to actually finish Gwyneth's nylon potholder that she weaved. It looks great! I used it to take the brownies out of the oven today.
I've been organizing the office/scrapbook room today. I hung five pictures! We've lived here nearly two months and those are some of the first pictures to go up. It's slowly coming together.

And because I am a dork:
one more picture of the brownies in the oven. I thought the light was cool....I know...I need to get out more! ha!

3 comments

Share:

Pay Attention!

Today...three days after I went shopping...I looked at my receipt. And gasped! WHO spends $8 on tomatoes?! WOW! I need to start paying more attention! That's just ridiculous! Produce is much more expensive here. (if you look above the tomatoes, you will see how much I spent on lemons..and a little further down the cantaloupe...)
Most of our produce is shipped from Washington, or Canada.
I know I can buy cheaper tomatoes though! sheesh!

1 comment

Share:

"Mom, I think I'll marry Nate."

While driving to AWANA the other night in silence, Gwyneth said: "Mom, I think I'll marry Nate." (For the very few people who might not know who Nate is, he is my sister's oldest son. They were born almost exactly one year apart. March 28th, 2000, and March 27th, 2001)
After recovering from my surprise I told her she couldn't marry Nate. She asked "Why not?" (o.k. how do you explain that to a 6 year old?) I went on to tell her that it is a law we have to obey. I also told her that I believe God wants us to marry people who aren't our family, so our family can grow bigger. She said "I don't get it." I told her that we don't always understand things, but we have to accept them anyway. The concrete mind of a 6 year old... After a couple minutes I asked her "Why do you want to marry Nate?" She replied "Because he's nice." I told her that maybe she will meet a nice boy like Nate someday, and she could marry him.

Leave a Comment things she says

Share:

Weave

We recently picked up a weaving loom for Gwyneth to nurture her creative urges. She is always drawing something, “Creating” something. Her mediums of choice are crayons, markers, paint, watercolors, paper, glue, tape, empty egg cartons, toilet paper rolls…you name it. If I am throwing it away, she will find a use for it, and create something masterful with it!

This loom, and taking the time to teach Gwyneth something creative, brought back many memories for me. I do not remember making these nylon potholders when I was little (David said he made one in 2nd grade)but am sure I did because my mom was always making stuff with us as kids. She is a natural crafts woman. She crochets, knits, cross-stitches, and sews. I wish I had half her natural ability to pick this stuff up. As far as I know, she learned most of her craft skills from books. I know she learned to sew from my Granny.

(My Granny making a flower garland out of the dandelions Gwyneth picked. -Spring 2005)

My Granny and my mom used to sew us little outfits. We had such fun picking out the patterns and fabric! One year the coveted item was a poodle skirt. My sister wanted one so bad! She convinced our Granny to make her one, and she loved that skirt very much! Granny also made Rachel her prom dress! I remember my Granny teaching my sister and me to sew. For a long time she had a sewing studio of sorts in the back of her house. My granddaddy had one-half for his wood shop, and she had the other half for her sewing. My granddaddy made us some amazing things as well. He made the desk I am sitting at, for me years ago. It is beautiful. Lovingly made, with wonderful little details. I still have the heart bookends he made for me as well. They are now a part of Gwyneth’s room.

I guess the creative gene runs strong in our family.
Scrapbooking is something all of my sisters and I do. Rachel has a very keen sense for decorating. My brother Jacob is musically inclined. He plays the guitar very well and has an awesome voice like my dad.
My mom taught me the basics of knitting when I was 10 years old. I can knit dishtowels. I wish I could knit items that were more interesting, but am so grateful that I have even learned this skill. I wish I lived closer to my mother, so that I could learn more from her.
My mother most recently made a beautiful afghan for me for Christmas. It is something I will treasure forever.

Leave a Comment things to remember

Share:

Out of the mouth of babes...

While feeding the fish tonight and putting in the new shark figurine Gwyneth bought the last time we were at Walmart, Gwyneth observes that there is a bit of algae on the plants...she says:"That 'Sweetie-Pie' (what she calls the algae eater fish) better get to work, there's lots of doodie on the plants." I said "Doodie?" To which she replied "Yea, like when Daddy has to work all day and night...Doodie!" (Translation..."Duty": when David works over night.)

Umm...o.k...not the same thing, but I'm sure David would beg to differ... ;o)

2 comments things she says

Share: