FOR TODAY

Looking out my window… we are working on digging ourselves out after getting 28 inches of snow in the last day and a half, a record snowfall for us.

I am thankful… for the anonymous person who used their dozer to plow out the KCAM parking lot yesterday while Scott was taking me to an appointment.  It really made his day to go back and find it all cleared, especially since our regular snowplow guy had his truck break down yesterday.

One of my favorite things…is Christmas cookies. Yum!

I am creating … dishcloths.  Instead of crocheting them this time, I decided it’s time to learn to knit.

I am hearing… 10:30am -our very noisy dryer, littles playing downstairs;

In the kitchen… Lydia is eager to start our holiday cookie basket baking. I need to make sure I’ve got everything ready for that and Christmas dinner.  I feel like Christmas is sneaking up on me this year.

In the school room… we are trying to wrap up this semester of school before Christmas break.

Around the house… with Scott’s help I finished the Roman shade project in our dining/school room and we are enjoying not having the bright winter sun in our eyes. (Here in Alaska the sun is so low in the sky at midday that it comes straight in the south-facing windows.)

This week in my life…

Minus 23 isn’t going to stop these tough Alaskan kids from playing their first hockey games of the season.

Sunrise at 9:30, December 4th.

When we opened the big gate to our yard in anticipation of the snowplow last week (the snow from our driveway gets pushed into the yard making a big pile for the kids to play on), this mama moose and her twins ambled in to enjoy munching on our trees.

FOR TODAY

Looking out my window… it has been a beautiful day! Lots of warm sunshine (we got up into the upper 60s today) and a nice breeze. We’ve enjoyed spending most of the day outside.

I am thankful… that three of my older kids have found jobs for the summer.  Matthew will be working as a flagger for DOT, Lydia is going to be helping in the deli at the grocery store, and Caleb will be taking over from Matthew in cleaning the radio station.

I am thinking… about how the rhythm of our family changes as the kids get older.

One of my favorite things… warm, sunny spring days. The mosquitos aren’t bad yet and it feels sooo good to be outside after such a long winter.

I am creating … curtains for Scott’s engineering area at the radio station. Nineteen years after the station was built and they’re finally getting made. We found some fun, engineering-related fabric prints for them.

I am hearing… 5pm – the dryer running, Kara typing/clicking away at her computer, the occasional child’s voice floating in through the open windows.

In the kitchen… I tried my hand at making cheeseballs for the graduation reception.  They turned out quite well. The three kinds I tried were: garlic and onion, chocolate chip, and dill pickle.

In the garden… I planted carrots, turned the compost pile, and corralled the kids for yardwork. Since the snow fell before the leaves did last fall, I wasn’t able to rake them up for the compost then.  So today we worked on getting that done before grass and weeds hide them all.

In the school room… one graduated, seven kids to go. Whew! All except one child are done with school for the year. I’ve also made a good dent in planning and collecting curriculum for next year.

A moment from my life…

Spending the day in Valdez with cousins

FOR TODAY

Looking out my window… I see lots of blowing snow. We’ve gotten a couple inches so far and it’s still coming down well.  I’m glad it’s not sticking to all the leaves still on the trees; they had just started falling.

I am thankful… that we took the opportunity on Saturday night to have an impromptu family cookout in the fire pit the boys worked hard to create this summer.

I am creating … pajamas for Elaina (she is growing so fast) and another shirt for Scott (now that he knows I can make his favorite guayaberra style shirt he has asked for more).

I am hearing… 1:30pm – Christmas music playing (because as soon as the kids see snow they think Christmas), the middle kids playing Mobi.

I am reading… Atlas Shrugged – another possibility for the older kids to read for school.

In the kitchen… the last of the chives I harvested is drying in the oven.

In the garden… I’m glad that I pushed hard this weekend to get everything harvested and cleaned up before the snow came.

In the school room… homeschooling is definitely an advantage on that first snow day of the year when the kids are so eager to get outside and play in the snow.

A moment from my life… when we were starting the campfire Saturday night and the temps were falling as evening came on Gabe and Ben were arguing and jostling each other. I asked Gabe what was wrong and he said that he was just trying to stay warm. I then asked him, who was only in short-sleeves, what we usually did when we wanted to be warmer. He looked at me with the saddest face and said, “Work?” LOL!

FOR TODAY

Looking out my window… the sun is trying to shine through a break in the clouds on a very windy day.

I am thankful… for all the people praying for us during this time of transition at KCAM.

I am thinking… about changes and phases in life. Scott Y. and Michelle have been the guiding force at the radio station for a long time; now they are both gone.  What does God have for the future? For the last 18 ½ years our family life has revolved around babies and toddlers. This fall our oldest will be a senior in high school and our youngest will no longer be in the nursery at church.

One of my favorite things… fresh strawberries from the garden.

I am creating finished … with the quilt I started a year ago to replace the very worn one on our bed. I am very pleased with how it turned out.

I am hearing… 5 pm – the boys chattering to each other on their walkie-talkies.

I am reading… The Grapes of Wrath; another one on the list of ‘should I have the kids read this for school’.

In the kitchen… fresh bread and the fixings for nachos for supper.

In the garden… things appear to be growing well.  We’ve had a few harvests of lettuce and chives to supplement our salads. Our load of topsoil finally arrived the middle of June and I worked like crazy hauling wheelbarrow loads around the house to get the raised rows ready to plant the potatoes. Their sprouts were sooo long it was hard to plant them deep enough to still be under the dirt and a lot of them already had roots growing. They are growing well now and hopefully we’ll still get some harvest from them even though they were planted so late.

A moment from my life…

Watching the utility workers laying the fiber conduits.

FOR TODAY

Looking out my window… the sun is breaking through the thin layer of clouds. Spring is out in full force and it’s already 50 degrees at 10am. We had less snow this year, so the puddles are drying up faster. Here’s hoping that means less mosquitos.

I am thankful… for our church’s commitment to the Awana program and my kids’ ability to be involved in that. We had a really good year and all the kids seemed to have fun and learn a lot.

I am thinking… about our school schedule for this next year.

One of my favorite things… when it is finally warm enough to be able to open the windows/back door and have all that lovely fresh air flowing through the house.

I am creating … a new bag.  I need one without a divider in the middle for the times when I need to carry larger items.

I am hearing… 10 am – Gabe talking about the math he is learning, Thomas and Elaina chattering downstairs while they play, the end of cycle sound on the washing machine;

I am reading… and studying Jen Wilkin’s God of Covenant. I really enjoy her studies and the accompanying video lessons for this one are free through June.

In the kitchen… we were down to the last of the canned veggies, so I’m working on canning some more. This is my version of meal prep; it’s so much faster to get a meal on the table when I can just open a jar rather than spend time chopping vegetables.

In the garden… we are actually making some progress this year on creating a new garden space in the back yard. My goal is to get at least a couple of new beds made this year.  Our yard is way too rocky to try any kind of in-ground gardening.

A moment from my life…