Permachink

Well I am currently getting the house ready to Permachink! Yeah, maybe the house will stay warmer at -60 this winter and the fans for the furnace won't have to run so long. Yeah I know wishful thinking. I just got off the phone with the company and they gave me some great news and reduced my workload by a little. I have also been treating log rot in various places. That is close to being done as I had started out doing it wrong, but I fixed that. We were able to dig out around the house this summer, which was good, but with that we found some more issues that are going to be costly. We have to replace up to three logs around the garage. What idiot would build a garage on a two sided cement footer and put the other two right in the dirt! We have talked about options like using railroad ties or cement blocks to raise the logs off the ground. I like the blocks better as it will look nicer but we will see what money brings.

Went out to start cutting some more wood today and almost got Brent's chainsaw started. Oh well, guess I will just have to get a new chain for mine. I cut so much that I wore it down. That's okay I didn't want to cut wood today anyway.

Thankful for so Many Blessings

Aren't these great pictures? Ania is a natural and David just likes seeing his face on the camera. What a great way to see their love.

We have been out of Barrow for almost a year now. I keep thinking of the things I miss from up there, and then I start thinking of the things I really missed from the real world when we lived in the bush. Things like fresh vegetables, crawling in grass, the rain on the roof, and the wind in the leaves. Brent and I were talking the other day about cooking of all things. He always says how spoiled he is that I love to take the time and cook. I have been thinking about that allot lately. I love to try new recipes and taste new things all the time (you should see my recipe collection now and what it was before we left Barrow). We ate allot of pasta and spaghetti in Barrow not that we don't eat it here but we have fresher things to try and enjoy. He laughed cause I won't even bat an eye at spending two hours in the kitchen to make lunch if that is what it takes. I just enjoy the challenge and enjoyment of making people truly experience the food they eat.


So here is a list of things that I am thankful for not only because we are out of the bush but also because the Lord has provided so much.

• Fresh vegetables



• Green grass



• Wind in the leaves



• Rain on the roof



• Birds and the lovely sounds they make all night long



• Mosquitoes



• Raspberries



• Wild roses



• Rivers that are not covered in ice all year



• A place for the kids to ride their bikes



• Garage sales with good stuff


• A house to put it in and be able to decorate the way I want to decorate



• Screen doors and windows



• Mountains



• Kiska



• My wheelbarrow



• The chainsaw
• Really good coffee

Wow! I could go on and on...........
I am so thankful for the little blessings and sure hope that I don't take them for granted again.


The kids and I have been out working in the yard getting quite a few things accomplished. I got the garden planted and most of the front of the house dug out for us to treat the wood. Thankfully we will be able to get most of this done this summer. There isn't much left of it and I want to enjoy it while we can.

Ari learning to stand on her own.

These are some great pics of the kiddos in the yard.

I love these cute little faces she makes.

Ari is experiencing grass for the first time in these.

Spring and Time

Well, it is almost the end of May already. Where does time go? Ari is crawling now and has decided to start trying to pull herself up! We have recently got quite a few things done inside the house. We found a new chandelier for the dining room that was a third of the price it had originally been marked at. Replaced the dishwasher with a newer model that we got for free! Brent replaced some of the old fluorescent lights inside the house with newer updated fixtures that use less electric and look nicer. Got a lot cleaned out of the yard.

Wow! Was it a pigsty when we moved in. We found things and are still finding things hidden in weeds and dirt. We are putting in a fire pit, which I am really looking forward too. I want to do some hot dog roasts and marshmallows. I have been busy getting the garden ready to plant and am going to rearrange raspberries. Next year I want to put in a raised garden bed which will help with soil temperature up here. I am hoping that the greenhouse will help this year and next year the garden will be bigger and yield more.

Gas prices have gone above $4 a gallon as of the middle of this month. Since our gas budget is not that big it means we will not be going places very much this summer. That's okay, who says I wanted to drive anywhere anyway!?!&#@*

Brent's parents came up and left a week ago this last Tuesday. We had a great time. I really enjoyed having someone to play cards with. With Brent's rotation and still networking friends haven't had much opportunity. I sure hope they come back, even though when they left the mosquitoes had a powwow and planned for next time!;0

I am really glad that they got to see some of what we do. Although I slept for two days after they left!

Spring Fever

So I couldn't take not doing something the other day. I got to cleaning as family is coming in a couple of weeks and I needed something to do....not that I don't already but I needed a distraction. I rearranged the loft. I like it better and will hopefully be able to get through some projects that are just sitting there waiting. I am going to do some garage sailing this summer and hopefully find some organizational things instead of just the totes that we have.

The kids have been suffering too. They have been riding their bikes on the snow and slush as well as through lovely mud puddles and coming in crying because they are stuck. It has been great though to see them running around.

The curriculum fair is this next week and I cannot believe I get to go this year. I didn't think I would be able to for awhile. The great thing is I can get everything ordered early and not have to worry about it......big relief! I have stressed over this the last couple of years and will not have to this year. Although I have been changing my mind a few times about what I really want to do with the kids this yeat. Ahhh, the fickle mind!

Smell of Spring

I walked out my front door yesterday morning and breathed deep! What a wonderful scent. The smell of spring is finally here. You know the one I am talking about, the smell of rain, the trees, etc. Also the sounds of spring are here as well. Water dripping, birds chirping, wondering if that sound in the trees is a moose or bear.

We have a huge puddle in our yard now that breakup is here. We have been seeing some moose and plenty of birds. It is so nice to walk out into 40 degrees in the morning and not having to wear a jacket. Although, I am slipping on the ice that is quickly melting up the driveway to get the paper every morning.

I am quickly starting to get anxious about getting our summer projects getting done. Spring and summer is so fleeting here in Alaska. We have a long list since this is our first summer in our house and we have added one more with our wood boiler by having to cut wood for the coming winter. I did get some done before breakup hit. I went and bought myself a chainsaw and yes it is purple and I can start it. I have been teasing Brent that his wife doesn't go by jewelry or something else that is feminine, I by a chainsaw so I can hear it roar! I have to have it for when he is gone as I cannot start the other one. I moved a cord of wood on Thursday of last week. I had fun cutting! I am still regretting it though as my back is still giving me problems with the size of the logs that I put in the back of the truck. I do so enjoy the work though and getting out in the woods. Splashing through the puddles was the height of enjoyment for the kids.

Chores and Fun

While we were out being responsible, as Brent likes to call it. Working hard is more like it! We got a few good pictures of being and working together as a family. The kids are getting to the point where they now want to help get wood. It has started to warm up so they are more apt to get out of the car and help.

Ari loved riding in the truck and helping me pull out logs from the piles. Talk about a fun time. There is nothing like pulling out trees with a 4 wheel drive truck that is older than your husband! Although I have to admit I would take the truck over him any day!:) Even though it has a hole in the floor, doesn't have a working radio, and goes through gas like no tomorrow! It sure didn't look like much when we got it, but I am so glad the Lord was in control on this one. I wouldn't touch the thing when we first got it because of all the buttons, but life and circumstances have caused me to change my mind. We have tried and tried to get it stuck, that thing even pulls Todd's grain truck out when it is stuck with a full load of wood in the back. Good 'ol American made!

This is our beautiful Keeska. She enjoyed the farm so much. I think she enjoyed the truck so much more. There is nothing like driving down the open road with your truck and your dog. She has truly become a part of the family.