Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The Getting of The Tree
Going out a cutting a Christmas tree is something I really look forward to, this year was no exception but it ended up being kind of stressful getting there. I don't know why it was so hard to do this year but with only a few hours of daylight, sick kids and lots of other things going on it just kept getting delayed, and I kept getting frustrated- I wanted my tree!!
So thankfully it finally happened and it was a wonderful outing but...the tree is still not decorated- ARRGH! We got it last Friday left it to thaw out and went to decorate of Saturday but the lights didn't work. Sunday I went to town but the only store open is the grocery store which of course was sold out of lights, so had to wait until Monday to get the lights. But Monday night I have book club so it didn't happen, tonight the neighbor kids came over to decorate cookies and tomorrow Jeff has a meeting in the evening so it looks like our next chance is Thursday. Oh well, at least I got my tree.
The boys felt it was important to bring the heavy machinery.
I felt it was important to bring a rugged Alaskan man to chop the tree down.
Alaska is not the mecca for the big full beautiful trees that your used to. You will never find Black Spruce for sale an any parking lot at Christmas time. But this one was free and growing right on our property. And even though we had to cut down a 30 ft tree just to use the top 8ft, the base is only 3inches in diameter so it is a real pain to get to fit into any normal stand, and its a little thin and scraggy- this is the kind of tree we have come to love.
The rugged man also comes in handy for carrying the tree home because the sled is filled with boys and their machinery.
And who knew rugged men could be convinced to build wreaths?? Notice how he is holding it out using the "big fish method".
Stay tuned for the decorating of the tree!!!
So thankfully it finally happened and it was a wonderful outing but...the tree is still not decorated- ARRGH! We got it last Friday left it to thaw out and went to decorate of Saturday but the lights didn't work. Sunday I went to town but the only store open is the grocery store which of course was sold out of lights, so had to wait until Monday to get the lights. But Monday night I have book club so it didn't happen, tonight the neighbor kids came over to decorate cookies and tomorrow Jeff has a meeting in the evening so it looks like our next chance is Thursday. Oh well, at least I got my tree.
The boys felt it was important to bring the heavy machinery.
I felt it was important to bring a rugged Alaskan man to chop the tree down.
Alaska is not the mecca for the big full beautiful trees that your used to. You will never find Black Spruce for sale an any parking lot at Christmas time. But this one was free and growing right on our property. And even though we had to cut down a 30 ft tree just to use the top 8ft, the base is only 3inches in diameter so it is a real pain to get to fit into any normal stand, and its a little thin and scraggy- this is the kind of tree we have come to love.
We brake for snow angels.
The rugged man also comes in handy for carrying the tree home because the sled is filled with boys and their machinery.
And who knew rugged men could be convinced to build wreaths?? Notice how he is holding it out using the "big fish method".
Stay tuned for the decorating of the tree!!!
Monday, December 12, 2011
'Tis The Season
'Tis the season for building snow villages...
and for sad boys that are cold want to go inside NOW!
and for turning boxes into sleighs, legos into presents and horses into reindeer
and for christmas crafts
and for making cookies and frosting, then licking the beaters!
and for skijoring.
It is a wonderful time of the year!!!
and for sad boys that are cold want to go inside NOW!
and for turning boxes into sleighs, legos into presents and horses into reindeer
and for christmas crafts
and for making cookies and frosting, then licking the beaters!
and for decorating the cookies with friends
and for making pizza (always in season)
and for skijoring.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
A Big Week
This week was the never ending week, it was jammed packed full of good stuff. If you remember last weekend Jeff and his band played down at Black Rapids lodge, while I was down there the owner mentioned that she had a last minute reservation and no one available to be at the lodge. So she must have really been in a pinch because she asked me if I would be willing to stay at the lodge and cook for the 2 guests that would be staying there. Now keep in mind that this was only the second time I had met the owners, so like I said they were really in a bind or they are very trusting people- probably a little of both. I told her if I could find a babysitter for the boys and someone to help me I would do it. I couldn't believe it worked out! The neighbor girl watched the boys and my friend Gwen who is retired said she would go with me. Monday afternoon we headed down and came back Thursday morning. The lodge is about an hour south of Delta, nothing else really there except of course the mountains, Delta river, and Black Rapids Glacier.
The lodge is beautiful!! Amazing timber frame construction and very nice detail work, such as these railings and stained glass windows, most of which was done by Alaskan artists.
The work load was pretty light because the owners had quite a bit of the food prep done. They had a menu lined out and some stuff made ahead and frozen but it was still stressful just trying to figure out this huge kitchen, finding the things we needed and getting the food on the table in a timely fashion. Luckily the two guys that were staying there had pretty low expectations- they were laying some cable and thought they were staying in a military bunkhouse and didn't know if meals would be provided. So needless to say they were pleased when they saw the lodge.
I was really glad Gwen was there to keep me company, help me get everything put together and clean up the mess. We even had some free time to get out and explore the trails on snowshoes.
Everything went well and they guys seemed pleased with our cooking but I thought it wouldn't hurt to offer a side of Pepto with each meal. The best part was just the peace and quiet. Gwen hardly ever whined or cried and I only had to tell her once not to hang on my leg while I was trying to cook.
Back home Wyatt had his first hockey practice! I was sorry to miss his very first but I made it to his second on Friday. Wyatt was a little nervous at first, just waiting and watching. The coach (trying to be helpful) skated over, grabbed Wyatt and carried him away. Wyatt kicked and yelled until he stopped and then just sat on the side for a bit until he got over that shock. Once he recovered (the coach came over and apologized to us) he was up and moving. He still holds on to his bucket for balance but he can get up some speed. I don't think it will be long before he is going on his own.
The other exciting news this week is that Santa's elves showed up!!! The look on Wyatt's face when he first saw the elf was priceless. Big giant eyes filled with wonder "Mama!!! LOOK!! the elves are back!!!"
I got these elves from my Grandma. Last year after hearing my friend talk about her "Elf on the shelf" and what a good job of parenting they did, we decided to try it. We told the boys that these elves send daily behavior reports back to Santa. It fascinates me how they don't doubt any of this information for even a second, I love it. And I love the endless questions that are asked of me about the elves and Santa, although it is challenging to come up with the answers. So the Elves are back and watching. Yesterday Wyatt starting talking mean to Sam then stopped and said "Oh I am sorry Sam, I should not have talked to you like that, the Elves are looking at me." So it works as a parenting tool (sometimes) but the boys also love them and play games with them all day. The best part is that the elves hide in a different spot every night while we are sleeping so the first thing the boys do in the morning is try to find them.
This weekend was also busy. On Saturday many of the local business had their annual Holiday open houses. Its fun- lots of people out and about, tons of yummy snacks, sales, door prizes and just good holiday cheer. So we spent most of the afternoon running around town chatting and snacking, then I spent a couple hours at a friends baby shower for a few hours then met Jeff and the boys back in town for the local performance of the Nutcracker. Okay, so maybe it doesn't sound so busy to you but for a day in Delta it is!!
We ended the week with some crazy weather. The famous Delta wind starting blowing and the temps climbed up to 47 (above zero), all the snow melted and we had big puddles in the yard. Yuck! The boys enjoyed it but thankfully that evening the temps dropped back down and it started snowing. I think we got 4 inches overnight so we are back to where we started except the roads are nasty.
Oh and we bought a new (used) car.
The lodge is beautiful!! Amazing timber frame construction and very nice detail work, such as these railings and stained glass windows, most of which was done by Alaskan artists.
The work load was pretty light because the owners had quite a bit of the food prep done. They had a menu lined out and some stuff made ahead and frozen but it was still stressful just trying to figure out this huge kitchen, finding the things we needed and getting the food on the table in a timely fashion. Luckily the two guys that were staying there had pretty low expectations- they were laying some cable and thought they were staying in a military bunkhouse and didn't know if meals would be provided. So needless to say they were pleased when they saw the lodge.
I was really glad Gwen was there to keep me company, help me get everything put together and clean up the mess. We even had some free time to get out and explore the trails on snowshoes.
Everything went well and they guys seemed pleased with our cooking but I thought it wouldn't hurt to offer a side of Pepto with each meal. The best part was just the peace and quiet. Gwen hardly ever whined or cried and I only had to tell her once not to hang on my leg while I was trying to cook.
Back home Wyatt had his first hockey practice! I was sorry to miss his very first but I made it to his second on Friday. Wyatt was a little nervous at first, just waiting and watching. The coach (trying to be helpful) skated over, grabbed Wyatt and carried him away. Wyatt kicked and yelled until he stopped and then just sat on the side for a bit until he got over that shock. Once he recovered (the coach came over and apologized to us) he was up and moving. He still holds on to his bucket for balance but he can get up some speed. I don't think it will be long before he is going on his own.
The other exciting news this week is that Santa's elves showed up!!! The look on Wyatt's face when he first saw the elf was priceless. Big giant eyes filled with wonder "Mama!!! LOOK!! the elves are back!!!"
I got these elves from my Grandma. Last year after hearing my friend talk about her "Elf on the shelf" and what a good job of parenting they did, we decided to try it. We told the boys that these elves send daily behavior reports back to Santa. It fascinates me how they don't doubt any of this information for even a second, I love it. And I love the endless questions that are asked of me about the elves and Santa, although it is challenging to come up with the answers. So the Elves are back and watching. Yesterday Wyatt starting talking mean to Sam then stopped and said "Oh I am sorry Sam, I should not have talked to you like that, the Elves are looking at me." So it works as a parenting tool (sometimes) but the boys also love them and play games with them all day. The best part is that the elves hide in a different spot every night while we are sleeping so the first thing the boys do in the morning is try to find them.
This weekend was also busy. On Saturday many of the local business had their annual Holiday open houses. Its fun- lots of people out and about, tons of yummy snacks, sales, door prizes and just good holiday cheer. So we spent most of the afternoon running around town chatting and snacking, then I spent a couple hours at a friends baby shower for a few hours then met Jeff and the boys back in town for the local performance of the Nutcracker. Okay, so maybe it doesn't sound so busy to you but for a day in Delta it is!!
We ended the week with some crazy weather. The famous Delta wind starting blowing and the temps climbed up to 47 (above zero), all the snow melted and we had big puddles in the yard. Yuck! The boys enjoyed it but thankfully that evening the temps dropped back down and it started snowing. I think we got 4 inches overnight so we are back to where we started except the roads are nasty.
Oh and we bought a new (used) car.
Anybody want to buy an 1998 Subaru? We will make you a good deal!
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