These fairies appeared the day after we got to Montana. The girls found them hiding in one of Grandma's nativities! They were so excited!!

Rori's card read:
"Hi! My name is Sugar and I am a Winter Fairy! I stopped by your house in Texas but you weren't there! Your nice cat, Kaladi, told me you were on your way to Montana so I flew up here to meet you! I I didn't scare your grandma, I've been hiding in her house waiting for you. I like the gingerbread house you madefor your nature table Rori! It looks cozy! "
Love Sugar

Janie's card read:
"Hi Janie! My name is Candy and I am a Winter Fairy. I'm sorry I was so late but it was a long flight from Texas. I hope you don't mind, I couldn't carry all of my things so I left them on your nature table. I'm excited to get to know you. I just know we'll have lots of fun. I can't wait to sleep in that wooden house you built. You did a great job! Would you mind if I ride back in theturck with you? My wings are tired! Love Candy

A Simple Act of Kindness

It was just another pee break , in another unfamiliar town (Casper, Wyoming). We were making our usual pass by the snacks and sodas when a not so clean looking man that I would have otherwise probably steered clear of, came up to Janie handing her two one dollar bills and smiled the most genuine smile. “You have a very merry Christmas little one” was all he said.
Even now, as we have left that town to move on to the next one on our journey, I am amazed at such an unexpected moment of kindness….Janie was beaming as we left the store and she yelled back to the man “Merry Christmas!” I hope she will remember that moment when a stranger brightened her day for absolutely no reason at all…

We're not in Kansas anymore!

Somewhere in Wyoming

I thought they'd NEVER take a nap!!! Don't they know that I have sewing to do?! lol I had felt food to finish and fairies that need to "appear" in Montana! The girls finally went to sleep and I got just about all my must-have handwork done in time for Christmas! woo hoo!

Our First Taste of Snow

Somewhere in western Kansas,

we got our first taste of snow and it was simply beautiful! (Never thought I'd say that about Kansas!) This is the first snow we've gotten to experience in over two years and as lame as it sounds, I had a lump in my throat...I can't wait until we get to see some mountains! On the road again...

A Wall-E Christmas

Ever since we saw the movie Wall-E at the movies, I swear I have seen the world thru a different light. For the most part, Wall-E is a slightly exaggerated tale of what our lives as humans are becoming in a world of bigger is better, faster is easier and convenience at all cost is just a way of life.
The moral of that story was thundering thru my head today as we went to the mall for some last minute shopping with family. What were we thinking!? I have never in all my life felt so uncomfortable in a crowd of people! Honestly, I felt a bit snobby, which was probably really terrible on my part but I just couldn’t help it…All these people were walking thru the mall like a herd of cattle, occasionally breaking away from the pack to buy yet another gift that didn’t mean enough for them to buy it prior to five days before Christmas. When I complained about this thought to my husband he said that some people think that is part of the holiday thrill, to search last minute for that “perfect” gift but I just don’t know. …I have been obsessing over the perfect gifts since June!
I struggle with this every year, yes I want my kids to feel the magic of the season but I don’t think it should break the bank (or spirit) by buying a bunch of “stuff” just for the sake of buying stuff. The kids don’t care if the toys are fancy or expensive. I started getting things for the kids back in June and when all was said and done I think I spend about $40 a piece on them- but you wouldn’t know it to see the packages under our tree (or rather in the back of the truck). My favorite place to find that “perfect present” is a huge moving sale or our local thrift store. I know some people would think that is terrible but it allows us to do more with our kids rather than buy more things to throw at them. It is driving Janie mad trying to figure out what her “big box” is…. Little does she know it is full of about $150 worth of Littlest Pet shop toys that I collected for her for about $16!!! Christmas morning will come and she isn’t going to think twice that they aren’t new. They are ready to play with and won’t take forever to get out of the theft proof packaging…
I know my views can be a bit strong, and I hope that anyone reading this isn’t offended. I know that not everyone can live their lives the same, that’s what makes us all so interesting but I do think we could all do for some improvement. If I can make one person think twice about something, my writings have been worth it. I have a number of blog “friends” whom I have never met but in my mind they are my friends and I respect their views and have learned SO much from them. Modern technologies do have some advantages….

Save Our Toys!!!

PLEASE check this out! I have been reading up on this and it just makes me sick! As you all know, I am quick to get on my soap box when it comes to all the toy recalls and China made toys so I am SO glad that the government is stepping in to do something....but they can't include the small Ameriacan made toy businesses in with these toy enemies! Please write your representatives, post this button on your blogs and tell everyone you know!!!!

the last of my inventory

Wow! What a busy season this has been! I don't have many left and they are actually going much faster then I expected! I am super excited but I have my work cut out for me next year! :)

Jumbo sized boys and frogs $12

(Great for teachers' gifts and churches)

Boys, Girls and Frogs (regular sized) $10

Well, they are definately not flawless but they are pretty much done...finally! I need to touch up one eye on the big one but other than that they are just waiting for little girls to love them! I am so nervous and hope that they love them! I can't wait to give them to the girls!!!

Still avaliable for Christmas!

Just call me one of Santa's helpers... I have been quiet busy with people calling needing last minute presents for Christmas or stocking up for upcoming birthday parties. I thought I would make it easy by keeping my on-hand stock listed here so everyone can know what I have at a glance! If you'd like to purchase any of my items shoot me an email or call (If I know you)! I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season!

Monsters $12 (I have 3 of these green ones avaliable & 1 of the red ones) SOLD

The monsters have been SUPER popular this year and this is all I have left!

Perfect for a teaparty!

2/$1 Spearmint (from my garden) tea bags

Chips $6

Cookies $2 each

There's magic in the hair!

Ok, so I took the plunge and finally sat down to work on the hair....I was SO nervous!!! It took me all evening to make the "scalp" before I could even start on the fun part of attaching the hair. Not to mention the numerous times that I had to hide the doll away because of little ones not wanting to stay in bed! I still have a ton of hair to put in on the crown of her head and down the back (in addition to finishing an eye) but I was too excited to go to bed before posting a picture! The hair is magic and the doll is starting to look more worthy of a little girl's love! I can't wait to start on the little one!

Cuddly...aliens?

I know it's all part of the process but these dolls just aren't coming together as cute as I had hope. At the moment, they look more like aliens ! I promised to show progression though so here they are! Cross you're fingers that with hair they will magically be transformed into the beautiful little babies that my girls deserve!

Who says you can't play with your food?!

Chips (12 in felt bag) $6 ~ Pasta $5

I've had a few people asking for pictures of the playfood I sell so I thought I would just put it on here so they are all in one spot! I just love watching the kids play with these! I am constantly getting "requests" for Janie's animals' favorite dishes...lol She recently got a racoon that she's insisting she needs some spagetti and meatballs! One more thing to add to my list! lol

Doritos $6 SOLD OUT

Cookie Kit $12 SOLD OUT

The kit includes everything pictured (in plastic container above)

6 Strawberries $8

Soft and Cuddly

I don't know where the time has gone but I find myself playing "elf" these days trying to get little trinkets ready for under the tree. I know to a certain level it is stressful but when a little girl only asks for a soft cuddly doll of wool and a Barbie necklace how do you purposefully disappoint her?
I have been stalking Waldolf dolls for months but we just can't afford to buy one of these works of art x2 so I have also been searching online for patterns and ideas. It's been about a week and I currently have two "bodies" in my closet both in various stages. Sharing this endeavor with the world is a leap of faith that I am in fact going to finish them and that they are going to turn out! lol So please cross your fingers and say a prayer that this little doll lives up to the expectations of two amazing little girls!

One More Day

My husband makes fun of the fact that I have a song to go with memories and events...Bon Jovi's "Who Says You Can't Go Home" is my Alaska song, "Where the Black Top Ends" is my Missouri song and "When You're Goin' Thru Hell" is my Texas song and so on and so on. I'm sure you get the picture. On any given day I'm sure I hear at least one song that makes me think back to a memory/event and sometimes it's good but not always....


I was driving back from a day of fun shopping with my two girls when "One More Day" by Diamond Rio came on and I couldn't help but think of her. I got tears in my eyes and a huge lump in my throat and before I knew it it was a full cry with crocodile tears running down my cheeks. I'm so glad the girls were asleep so I didn't have to explain. Sometimes I don't know where the emotion comes from but it happens out of the blue. In my mind, I picture all the things I would do if space and time were no limit. I would take her out for dinner, and push her threw a park or the woods. Somewhere outdoors with a yellow hue of sunshine around us. I would take her to farm animals but she loved her farm so much and I would ask her to tell me more stories about her childhood. I would laugh at all the same jokes and I would tell her she means the world to me...I would introduce her to my husband. She never got to meet him but she knew we were getting married and I could hear it in her voice just how happy she was for us. The last thing I remember her telling me was that I was going to be a good mom to my stepson...She would love my girls too. I can picture them in her lap and I can hear her laughter while she teases them. Sometimes the pain of losing her just washes over me and I can't believe she's been gone for almost 6 years. She passed away two weeks before my wedding. I don't know why that is so important... I just wanted her to know how happy I would be and what a good man I had found. She would have loved him and pulled him in to kiss him on the cheek. Then she would have teased him about something and said she was a terrible old woman lol ...What I wouldn't give for one more day...

One More Day- Diamond Rio

Last night I had a crazy dream

A wish was granted just for me

It could be for anything

I didnt ask for money

Or a mansion in malibu

I simply wished,

for one more day with you

Chorus

One more day

One more time

One more sunset,

maybe Id be satisfied

But then again

I know what it would do

Leave me wishing still,

for one more day with you

First thing Id do,

is pray for time to crawl

Then Id unplug the telephone

And keep the tv off

Id hold you every second

Say a million I love yous

Thats what Id do,

with one more day with you

Chorus

Leave me wishing still,

for one more day

Leave me wishing still,

for one more day

A new twist!

This poem was on my very favorite blog and I just had to share it! I love it!


Twas the Night Before Solstice
By Kristie Burns
http://www.thedreamangels.com/
http://www.earthschooling.com/

'Twas the night before Solstice
and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring,
not even our pet mouse

Knitted wool stockings
were hung with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas
soon would be there

The children were tucked
in organic cotton sheets,
The air filter blocking
pollution from the streets.

While mama stayed up
to make handmade gifts
I co-slept with the kids
and watched auras shift.

When out in the herb garden
arose such a clatter
I sprung out of our futon
to see what was the matter!

Away to the solar panels
I flew like a flash.
They took me hours to install
,I hoped they hadn't crashed.

The crystals we'd laid out
to absorb the moonlight
Sparkled like fairydust
and blocked my sight.

When, what to my
wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh
without any reindeer.

At that moment I knew
that the little old man
Had received my last letter
so bold and so grand

Could you stop using reindeer?
Last year I wrote him,
And enclosed
with the note a PETA pin.

As he neared the house
in his all-wooden sleigh
I noticed it was powered
by wheatgrass and hay.

Ostheimer! Kinderkram!
Stockmar! Fair Trade!
Don't bother landing
if the toys aren't handmade!

"Hey Arriana," I called
to my wife with chagrin,
"With that body mass
do you think he's vegetarian?

"She paused only a moment
from her crafting and said,
"One moment dear!
I'm shaping this gol-darn Waldorf doll's head!

"On our roof I strained
to hear the ole boy
But I'd recently
insulated it with soy.

So I drew in my hand
and was turning around,
When in through the front door
came St. Nick with a bound.

The Advent wreath
had caught in his hair
As I said, "Why in the world
did you enter from THERE?

"The soot in your chimney
contains poisons galore.
You should consider
the environment more.

But he was dressed in fur
from his head to his foot
So I said, "Look whose
talking about my soot!"

A bundle of felt he had
flung on his back.
"I hope you like handiwork,"
he said with a laugh.

His eyes - how they twinkled!
His dimples were treats!
His cheeks reminded me
of when I dye silk with beets.

He must be of the
choleric type I mused.
It's a good thing with
lavender the stockings I infused.

With his fur boot
she slipped on the bamboo wood floor.
I offered him Arnica and
then closed the front door.

After all that I'd paid
to the energy company this year
I didn't want one bit of
that cold air in here.

He had a broad face
and a little round belly
I asked him,
"Have you seen your naturopath lately?"

He was so chubby and plump
I worried for his health
But I laughed when I saw him
in spite of myself.

He spoke not a word,
but went straight to task,
Needle-felting dragons
and weaving a mask.

He knitted a pure cotton sweater
and two pairs of mittens,
Then picked up a knife
and carved 2 wood kittens.

He finger-knitted
an entire nativity scene.
With the most amazing skill
I'd ever seen!

When he sprang
from his seat on the floor and arose
I yelled, "Arianna -
watch -there he goes!"

With the unfinished dolls
he was struggling to sew,
Arriana went to watch
him out the window.

And I heard him exclaim
as he drove out of sight!"
Arriana, my dear,
the stiches are too tight!"

Knit Happens

I have been telling myself that I couldn't start anymore projects until my craft bazaar is over. There's just so many out there calling my name! Knit, needle felt, sewing! I should be working on puppets and play food and not new "fun" projects....let's just say, knit happens!

I have been wanting to learn to knit for years now. The patterns that I find for play food and toys are just SO cool and of course- knit only! I have been hoping to take a class locally but the prices just keep going up and it really seems ridiculous to pay $20 to make a potholder when my personal yarn stash could keep me quite busy for years to come! lol

So, the night before last I took the leap. I printed off directions online and learned to cast on and do the knit stitch. After going back and forth for a number of rows I figured I would either sink or swim and printed off a cute little unicorn pattern I had found and saved weeks earlier! It took a few times of ripping out rows but I finally got it down with little mess ups and then last night I got in a groove and couldn't stop. So, with sleeping children and husband and numerous re-runs of the Cosby show playing in the background, "Olivia" was born! I still need to get her tail finished and mane attached but isn't she a cutie!? (I know I need to get out more but I am SO excited!!!) What shall I tackle next? :)

November 4th, 2008

I don't want this to stand out as a political "plug". Most of us already know who we'll be voting for and have heard their fair share of political slogans. I am not going to try and sway you to vote for the candidate of my choice (although I'd gladly share my views with you if you ask!). I only want to remind you all to get out and vote!

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

I know that we all have busy days, with kids and spouses and all sorts of other things keeping us hopping but we are SO VERY LUCKY to live in a land that allows us the chance to choose our officials and I think that way too many people sit back and assume that what they think won't make a difference but WE DO!!!! So many people have fought and died for this freedome that gets taken for granted so please take the time to stop and make your voices be heard...

Fall at 90

I am quite happy with myself...our first day of fall was a success! I have been working on these little fairy dolls in hopes of having them ready for the girls on the first day of fall. I have been reading and reading and reading some more about Waldorf schooling and I am really trying to reset my brain into the way I want to teach Janie and not conform to the way I think society would approve of. I love the idea of her learning life's lessons from nature and having that sense of wonder at it all. I have read about having a nature table in the house and then got the ideas for fairies that "appear" on the first day of the season and disappear before the next begins.

I made houses out of those carvable pumpkins from Michaels and then had a fairy doll for each of the girls and a note from the fairy explaining that they are only here for a season and that they can't wait to be best friends with them....I set it all up while they were sleeping and finally headed to bed at nearly 3am after getting it all "just right"! lol They were thrilled and keep telling everyone that enters the house about the fairies! I love the joy I hear in their voices and see on their faces when they play....Now I have to come up with the same level of cute for the winter season (even if it is non-existent here!) In a strange way, it gives me something to look forward to too!

Stamp Happy

I had the nicest surprise today and just can't help but gush about it! Our neighbors a few houses down have recently found out they are moving in a couple months

:( and are totally into that rush of life that moving brings with it. Anyways, she has decided that she wants to get more into her stained glass art and less into the stamps and clay....I like to think of him as the "stamp fairy" (aka Will the cop)....he stopped by our house today carrying a large bucket/tub FULL of stamps!!! He promply set them down just inside my door and refused to take any payment for them. Even as I write this I'm still in shock at the excitement of it all. I'm sure he could hear the girls and I squeeling as he walked back to his truck and we started looking thru stamps right there in the entrance to the house! It felt like a dream as we started pulling out stamps that we have drooled over on more than one occassion at Hobby Lobby and later in the evening the girls were just hilarious as they insisted on showing Daddy each and every stamp! Now if only there were a few more hours in the day for us to try them all out! I am so thankful for the thoughtful, sharing people we have met here.... I guess I should chalk this one down for a bright spot in Texas. They really are so few and far between but we really are trying to find the good. Today was such a blessing!

Like I needed another obsession!

It happened in the middle of the night....I stumbled on to a blog with pictures of the cutest little dolls . I then combed the internet for how to instructions for two days, made a trip to the craft store the very next morning and the rest is history! I am addicted!

The girls don't know about them yet. once I get a few done I think I am going to hide them around the house and see how long it takes for them to be found! I am so excited but I have so many other things I should be working on!!!

There is something magical about them and I just can't wait to see the girls with them!

Another day...

Another day I can remember waking up to a dark room, annoyed to be woken up early. Then came the news of the plane hitting a building and still feeling confused in my groggy state. As I crawled down the ladder (from a loft bed) the tv juiced up and my feet hit the floor and from that moment on my life was changed forever.
I can remember sitting there numb in front of the tv listening to the reports, watching the second plane hit and here the vague report of a plane gone down in western Pennsylvania. There was such uncertainty that day, and pure fear I will admit. As a kid, I remember asking people what it was like when Kennedy died or imagined what it must have felt like that day at Pearl Harbor. In my mind I guess those events had been romanticized (for lack of a better word) but now that I was witnessing history of this magnitude I wished I could take it all back...We can't and neither can the family and friends of people that lost someone. I was lucky, all of my friends in question were safe but so very many others weren't.
As we go about our lives, and for many of us we went back to our "normal" lives eventually (altho forever altered), please take a moment today, if not every day, and say an extra prayer for those families and children. Please for a moment, put politics aside and be thankful for the gifts we have as Americans, in the land of the free and SO VERY BRAVE! The people we lost that day didn't volunteer to die on behalf of our country but they still deserve our undying respect and honor. On the other hand, there are troops at this very moment still fighting for our freedom and for the memories of those fallen Americans. It doesn't matter what party we belong to, or what country we are currently standing in....we are all Americans and we should all be acting like it.
Please take a moment today to remember the images of those buildings. It's an image I don't think I will ever forget and the feeling of pure patriotism in the days to follow are something I don't ever want to leave me either.

A piece of Alaska for all

As the RNC closes tonight, I sit here in awe...I am so proud to be an American woman and although I have different goals for my life as a woman (and hope my girls will too) I am so thankful that they are growing up in a nation where they can do and accomplish anything their hearts desire.
There will be much debate about this election, but for me there is so much hope by electing someone "real" , a hockey mom if you will and for me it seems like there is a little piece of Alaska seaping into the rest of the country...it's just what our nation needs.

Drill baby drill!

It's really here...

From the time I was pregnant with her I never really even considered that we would be anything but a homeschooling family. Jason and I agreed from the very start on it and he has been nothing but supportive ever since...but all talk is one thing. That day as really come and tomorrow we are embarking into this amazing adventure of homeschooling and I can't help but feel a bit of overwhelming terror mixed in with the excitement, along with an urge to hyperventilate! We are starting Kindergarten a year early as it is because she is just so advanced in the way she learns things and I feel this intense pressure to do it just perfect (which I know is impossible) Everyone I know has been great and reassuring but I guess I have just been taken over by the last minute jitters....I've researched, organized, grocery shopped for projects and did a last minute job of rearranging the playroom so that when she wakes up tomorrow she will feel different...she will feel like a Kindergartener!!! Please say an extra prayer that God will give me the courage and strength to do it right...she deserved only the very best and I just hope I can live up to that!

Lettuce Remember

Who would ever think that something as lame as cleaning a few heads of romaine lettuce could give me a warm fuzzy of sorts and effect the rest of my day for the better...



It's been one of those days, the kids are screaming, the repairman comes, the cleaning never seems to end. And yet, I feel this overwelming sense of accomplishment. I've needed that feeling for awhile now. I've been really struggling with the whole simplifying our life process even though it really is something I want to achieve for us as a family. Nevertheless, the constant work I am putting into it is making me tired, cranky and frustrated. There is just too much clutter in our house, our life and my mind at any given moment. The biggest part of it all is how miserable we are here and the everyday struggle to try and be happy where we are (to coin the phrase "bloom where you are planted" rings a bell) without letting go of the hope, no the expectancy of someday soon getting to go back home to Alaska. I don't want to look back on the years we've spent here and think that I wasted so much time or missed out on so much with the girls. I want us to have good memories here too.

I got the girls settled in with their lunch and was starting in on mine (a salad) when I had visions of a friend of ours, Penny, cleaning romaine lettuce at her sink much like I was cleaning it at mine. It was like a porthole of memories from a life that seems like another world away from here....Going to Penny and Jon's house for dinner was something that I would drop ANYTHING for. It was an event that was sure to be momentus in the fact that we enjoyed their company so much we didn't even have to be doing anything special. There was something great about going and sitting in Penny's kitchen at the isle and watching her put together one of her masterpiece dinners. We would drink (she introduced me to white Russians- thanks Penny!) and laugh and just hang out. I don't know if having people over stressed her out or not but if it did you would never know it by the way she was always just so layed back and inviting. Theirs is one of the homes in Alaska that I want to emulate in mine...it's a feeling of feeling safe that I want our kids to feel when they are at home and a feeling I hope our visitors feel when they walk in the door to ours. I don't know if I got that feeling because of the house itself, which I doubt since I couldn't tell you much about it, or if it came more from the warm friendship we found in a cold and blustery wilderness we know as life in Alaska.

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature--trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars,the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...We need silence to be able to touch souls.
~Mother Teresa

Growing pains...

Why is it that the pains of growing up never seem to stop? I expected the pains of growing up myself, the fights with girl friends, broken hearts from boyfriends etc. What I didn't see coming was the pain of watching my girls grow... As I write this I feel kind of silly but at the same time the emotions are so raw and very real that I feel pressed to get them out in words in hopes of lessoning the hurt.
For the last bit, as most of you already know, I have been really cleaning out our over abundance of "stuff". I truly want to be able to have a clean, clutter free house and I really do embrace the idea of a simpler life- it's just trying when it comes to letting go of the emotional attatchments I have on things. I recently heard of a family that is in great need for baby items which was just the motivation I needed to clean out and let go of things we're no longer using. It has been really freeing to make that stack of things in the garage grow and I have felt relief in knowing they are going to a good place.
Today was the big day to actually hand them over to my friend who is so graciously delivering the collection and unexpectedly I got this lump in my throat and I realized that I was giving away my baby things...the carseat that I brought both our girls home from the hospital in, the bouncy seat that they both had their first foods in and the ball toy that I remember watching a little boy I babysat play with and then both my girl too...why does it have to be so painful to give those things away? I wish I could be more carefree about this sort of thing and have less attachment to "things". I know they are just things and that I will always have the picture and the memories but I sit here and think of those things with no control of the tears coming down my cheeks. I am ok with the idea that we are done having babies but I guess it really became real today. Now it all comes down to the fact that I'm a grown woman crying over baby toys!!! I know they are going to a home that will love them as much as we did if not more and yet I am still sad. Only a mother could understand this kind of growing pains...or maybe it's just me and I'm going crazy!

All I needed to know I learned at a funeral...

We've all seen those cute posters talking about how we learned everything we need to know about life in kindergarten but after the last few days I've experienced, I think I learned even more from attending a funeral...

As I sat there listening to all the wonderful things people had to say about Jason's Grandma Phyllis, I felt like I was hearing one of the best sermons ever said in church. I know most funerals are sad and depressing but this one was full of laughter and yes tears too. I heard stories of how Grandma always took care of everyone before herself and how she used to grow her garden, can the beans, and make huge dinners that could feed an army. I also heard how special she made people feel and how much richer everyone's lives are for having known her. I know mine is...

I found myself yelling at Janie today for breaking something, and without realizing it I was thinking back to something David had said at the memorial about how Grandma never yelled at them for an accident and that she was always reminding them that things are just things. They are never as important as people. I know we all know that, but do we really act out our days like we should?

On a day that was so sad, and a loss that was so large I had this overwelming feeling that I was being transformed in some way. I felt like I was given such a huge reminder about what life is really about and what is really important. In a world that is so easy to fall into the trap of wanting to be like the Jones' there was this amazing woman who had so much love inside of her for not only her family and friends but for God and His son that she couldn't help but to live a life they would be proud of. Not once at that memorial did I hear how big her house was, or if she drove a fancy car or had a big job title attached to her name. She lived for Christ and left a legacy for all of us to live up to. She will be so very missed...

Phyllis Eldene Lindal

October 6, 1916- June 9, 2008

A different world

I never thought I would be one of "those people"...You know, one of those moms that buys organic foods, wooden toys, cloth diapers etc. This has been a long road of coming to this point but I feel like a force outside of myself is steering the ship so to speak. I am extremely proud to be cloth diapering my little one. It's not that much extra work, and it's saves us money- oh and it's better for the environment too! I've stopped using my dishwasher (crazy I know!) and cut our electric bill by $30-$50 a month! This week I found myself giddy over a newly hung clothes line! What has the world come to!?! Every morning and every evening I actually enjoy hanging clothes for a few quiet moments to reflect by myself and I really enjoy the time I spend watering our garden in hopes of a bountiful harvest. Until then, I am searching out great deals at the grocery store. Just today I have processed over 10 lbs of green beans that are now ready to freeze for the winter! It's funny how life has a way of working itself out. I'm not sure how I got on the this journey to a more natural existance but I am really enjoying the ride!

Memorial Day

For most people, this Memorial Day holiday is just another excuse to get a day off work. This fact seems to me to be a bit ironic considering what it actually stands for. Memorial Day is set aside to remember our fallen soldiers who were SO far from having a day off work.

This Memorial Day holiday I would like to remember just one of those soldiers who gave their life so that we could be free. I never had the pleassure of knowing my Uncle Buddy but I feel like he is still such a big part of our lives thru the stories and emotions that my Papa has shared with me. Buddy was his big brother and by the sounds of it a really amazing young man. I wish so much I could have met him but I was born exactly 35 years to the day too late ...

This day should not be about bashing political candidates or voicing our political views on the current administration. Today should be simply about remembering and being thankful. My Uncle Buddy was certainly not the first to die for our country and he wasn't the last either. Please say an extra prayer for all of our soldiers worldwide and be oh so very thankful for even the littlest of our daily freedoms that we all take for granted...

Herbert L. Striker

1923-1944

A State of Mind

I have been really making a contious effort to find the good in each day, and in this state. It's no secret that Texas is not my favorite place to be but for the time being it is home so we have to embrace it! One of my regular sayings is that we might as well see the sites in Texas now cause you know we won't be coming back! lol

Today was one of those days that makes our stay here a bit more tolerable. We got to go with friends to pick strawberries! Yes, it would probably be cheaper to just wait for a good sale at the grocery store but this is one of those experiences that Alaska doesn't offer us. The girls loved getting to taste test and I got to take a ton of pictures! (Go figure!)

After going berry picking, we went to one of our favorite stops- the base thrift store! Along with many great deals (I'll write about another time) I was looking thru the baby clothes and came across a tie-die shirt...with the Alaska Grown logo on front!!! I instantly got a big lump in my throat and felt giddy about my find. My friend made a comment that it wasn't true and I looked at her in total confusion. I just didn't get it. Then it clicked in that she was saying Rori isn't Alaska grown! I went from confusion to anger (nothing against my friend tho). Of course she is Alaskan....her birth certificate may say Texas on it but we do not belong here. That's when I decided that it's just a state of mind...our hearts belong to Alaska...including those born elsewhere!

We have just returned from one of those outings that I hope the girls will remember for a long time, even if it's only in pieces. The trip had this feeling about it that I don't know if I'll explain correctly but to me felt like one of those Americana, very basic road trips...four people smashed into a tiny car (my little red Sunfire gets great gas mileage!), with no CD player and two very impatient kids! It was only a 6 hour drive but with no DVD player and only ancient cassette tapes to listen to it made for an interesting afternoon. Nonetheless, I had warm fuzzy as I looked at my little family making it all work and having fun along the way.

We went to San Antonio to visit an old friend of mine and her new baby and then took advantage of free tickets to Sea World! The weekend went by so fast but it was wonderful to see her again and to actually get the girls out for something fun to do. The crowds were a bit suffocating and I still would have rather gone fishing/camping but for Texas fun it was a good time! Now we'll see how they do on the bigger road trip.... lol This should be interesting!

Farewell to a friend

I guess it was naive to think that our family would return to Alaska the same as it came here...I just always thought we'd have both of our trusted friends with us when we returned to our state of home. Koda and Karma so loved it there, in the snow, hiking in the woods or just spending the day at the park in Peter's Creek. As I write this, all I can feel is the pain in my chest and the sobs that just won't stop. I know that I can't fix her and that Karma is going to be lost without her. Janie is already heartbroken and I can't fix those feelings for either one of them either. My poor husband has taken the burden upon himself to take her in. We really had no choice...

For those who don't know, we have been fighting food allergies with Koda since she was about a year old. Recently it has progressed to what they think is either irritable bowel disease or lymphoma, (neither one is good) and she hasn't been responding to any of the numerous meds and diet changes we've been trying. She is down to just skin and bones and last night Janie found that she was bleeding and I won't go into details but to say the on call Dr. said there was a choice to be made. Even as she went thru all the options with me I had a calm come over me that told me there really was no choice. The hardest part was seeing her sweet face watch me make dinner like nothing was wrong and then having to explain to Janie that we couldn't fix this but that we had to be a good friend and let her go...All evening, night and now morning I just can't help but cry. It's just not fair, she's too young and too sweet and so very loved...I know it sounds so stupid but she's one more piece of Alaska being taken from us....she was the first thing to make us feel like a family.

I was 8 months pregnant when I ran across her picture online and showed Jason. I told him joking that it was good thing we didn't live in Fairbanks cause if we did we'd have a dog! lol I showed him a picture of her, we ended up calling the shelter and talking at length with them about her to later leave for the 7 hour trip north to stay in a hotel. We got up early the next morning, stopped in a cute little diner to barely eat due to excitement and then we sat outside of the shelter waiting for them to open. Jason was like a little kid, squirming in his seat to the point that he went and stood at the door in 12 below temperatures to ensure no one else got in before him! We went into a room with Koda (then Katy) and it was all over from there ! There was something about her that just said "yes take me home". And then stupid us, drove the 7 hours home with her asleep in the backseat of my sunfire! She slept most of the way home and the rest if history.

Deep down I know we couldn't let her go on the way she is but I still hope that someday soon I will be at peace with our choice. It's never easy to say goodbye to a friend, especially one so faithful. If you are reading this please just say an extra prayer for her friend Karma that is left behind. She has never known a life without her. And for Janie, it is so hard to mend the heart of a little girl.

In loving memory of Koda 2003-2008

As many of you know, when I learn something new I tend to get consumed by it! I have tried to crochet things for years and they jsut never seemed to turn out and then I found a pattern for the cutest little babydoll and had to give it one more go if it....For once the doll turned out just how it was supposed to and was easiy enough I even made one for each of the girls! lol And that was how the obsession began!

Now I have moved on to making diaper soakers and my favorite thing these days is play food! Little by little I am replacing the made in China plastic crap with wooden or handmade crochet food and Janie LOVES it! These eggs are awaiting two little girls to find them in eggs on Easter morning and so is this little carrot! I can't wait to hear Janie's reaction!

I am also big into freecycle, a group on yahoo that was put together to avoid putting what might be another person's treasures into a landfill. It has bee na great resource for not only cleaning out our over stuffed house but for getting items that we could use too! Just this morning I met a lady who had 14 skiens of yarn in need of a good home! I was happy to take them and Janie is already putting in her orders and earmarking the different colors for things she wants me to make! I'm glad she has such high ideas as to my ability but talk about pressure! lol For now, I am just enjoying my new found love of crocheting and taking advantage of the little bit of quiet time I get to make the girls surprises when I can....my next challenge will be figuring out Etsy so I can try to maybe make some extra money selling my creations! I always have to be reaching for the next level of success...

A new kind of writing..

I have always been a writer. I can remember typing out stories on an ancient old typewriter and putting stories in notebooks and on scratch paper with dreams of being a famous writer someday. Accomplished more so than famous. I don't really want the fame just to know that I left something you can hold as proof of my existance long after I'm gone. I guess I still harbor those thoughts from time to time. Maybe one of these days I will finish the book I started back in highschool and it will fulfill one more thing off my list of life's accomplishments.
I have found that in the recent years, my writing has taken a back burner to my busy life and growing family but on nights like this, when I am tired and homesick a blank journal sounds oh so appealing...so it is in that spirit that I have decided to take the leap and join in on this world of blogging! I don't know if anyone will be interested in ever reading my entries on our everyday life but hopefully at the end of the day I will feel like I have an outlet for the thoughts, ideas and frustrations rolling around in my head...