1st Crawl

The baby picked today to crawl. He only took three steps/crawls and that was it, but it was still his first time. It was so cute.

Ok, had to blog about it, now I'm off to make crab artichoke dip.

Merry Christmas!

Kids Christmas Crafts

This year we did an awesome craft with the kids and invited others from church to join us, it turned out so cute, and everyone else loved doing it as much as we did. I just had to share...

Paint your kids palm and fingers white. Carefully have them hold an ornament ball from the bottom to create the five snowmen. Use a paint marker to make hats, faces, and scarves. Attach a tag with this poem:

These aren't just five snowmen
as anyone can see;
I made them with my hand,
which is a part of me.
Each year when we trim the tree
we’ll look back and recall,
Christmas of 2008
when my hand was just this small.

Christmas

Yes it sure has been fun the last few days...

We discovered our "pre-lit" tree (of 5 years) is no longer lit. Which is a bummer because it's so full and perfect and I didn't wanna mess with getting a new tree. Marty suggested we just buy lights and add onto it but I didn't want all those extra lights on it that weren't lit. So we went tree shopping and found all the tree's available didn't look full at all, but very see through. Just reminds me of a more glorified Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Ug

So last night we spent 2 hours with some wire cutters and stripped our tree of it's old lights and the top layers of our finger tips. What a pain, but the deed is done and I feel better not having wasted a perfectly good tree because it's lights are dead.

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Christmas presents got a tad out of control. Or so it feels. Some are just for us to have as a foster home but I wrapped up for the kids to open. By the time they return to their mom, those things won't be age appropriate anyway. So I guess when I just count the things they will take home, they did very well but not over done. It just seems like a lot when you see them all together.

Anyway with that thought in mind I read the neatest thing on a forum the other day that I plan on going with in the future. I LOVE the idea and think to many presents just makes kids appreciate them less. The comment was...

I have a friend with 4 girls. She does 3 gifts each and then one family gift.
The three gifts are
1)For the body (clothes)
2)For the soul (a Christian book, new Bible or Bible storybook)
3)For the spirit (this is the TOY!)
Really limits the amount of toys and the mom can get them stuff they NEED.

I may change this up a small bit who knows, but I really like this idea. Thought I'd share it.

Kids Craft/Christmas Idea

Someone pointed this idea out to me, I thought it was so cute. I may do it with the kids and let them give the ornaments to their parents this year. I know they would probably really like that.



The inscription says:

"These aren't just five snowmen
As anyone can see,
I made them with my hand
Which is a part of me.
Each year when we trim the tree
We'll look back and recall
Christmas of 2007
When my hand was just this small."

Spice Rack

I just think this spice rack is soooo cute. I found a picture of this on someone's flickr account.



She found a tv tray at the thrift store and cut the metal legs off then screwed it to the wall to create a metal surface. The magnetized spice canisters you can buy anywhere online.



I want one!

Laundry

I did 5 loads of laundry tonight. Someone called later in the evening and then I was just busy with the kids too. So I start looking for the last two loads I did because I needed to fold them. I went through the house front to back, side to side 3 times looking for where I set them down. I was starting to get irritated because my house is only 1100 square feet and I just couldn't find the two baskets of clean clothes. Then I spot all the laundry baskets empty and stacked in my closet (at which point I was struck very puzzled). I went and checked and all the clothes I was looking for were folded and put away.



This has never happened to me before.

I folded them and put them away while I was on a 10 minute phone conversation.

Brainless autopilot definitely has its benefits.

Best Bumper Sticker EVER

I've never been into bumper stickers. Never put one on any of my cars, even the junkers we drove.

I am Seriously Rethinking This.

Getting ready

What a week it's been....

We've had appointments everyday this week..

We have a visit tomorrow again with their mother, then with the caseworker. Saturday I drive Pete to Anchorage to spend 2 and a half weeks with my mom. Sunday after church, after Marty flies in at 7:30 pm, we fly out to Indiana at 9:30 pm. Should be fun, but packing has me a tad stressed, haha. I've never gone on such a long trip with any children much less the kind that are so little and require so MUCH!! haha I have a suitcase packed with the frontpack, some wipes, and all the formula we will need. I know I could buy formula but wic pays for it and considering 5 cans costs over $70 - I'll pack it along. So who knows how many suitcases I'll strap my poor husband down with, hopefully not to many hehe.

Funny story before I go...

I have been letting the baby play on the living room floor lots lately because he's learned how to roll and is having fun with it. Pete has decided that it's his job to look after that baby. He posts himself right on the floor with with the baby and just watches him so lovingly. He's always very careful with him and is just so attentive to him. And if that baby starts crying, Pete will come over lay down right along side the baby, haha. I'm just amazed how he watches over those kids. I brought him in the car with us to a visit the other day and when I got back in with out the kids he just had this look on his face - looking at the car seats, looking back to the building, car seat, building, car seat, building, :::Panic::: where did you leave those kids mom!!

Anyway, I gotta run. Can't procrastinate anymore.

Fostering...

We have officially transitioned from rescuing animals to rescuing Children. We finally took in our first foster children on June 19th, they're 2 boys ages 21 months old and 8 weeks old and I'm in love already. I wish I could post pictures and tell you all about them, unfortunately thats not allowed.

But I CAN tell you what I've discovered so far...

• Pampers and all the other brands are aweful - gotta be Luvs or Huggies.
• My house will never be as clean as I want it too.
• To speak fluent toddlereese one must know the word "NO!"
• I have now become one of those people you talk about in the store because of the tantrums the older one is capable of. **my personal favorite**

The older one went threw a few homes before he came to ours, I suspect he will work through some of his issues once he's had some time to adjust. In the meantime I am working at being consistent with discipline and lots of love.
Marty will be home in a couple weeks to meet them and I can't wait!
In the mean time wish me luck and come see us if you like!

Marty's hunny-do-list

A couple weeks ago we had fierce winds blow through Wasilla. Very abnormally fierce winds. It was a good excuse for me to lock the doors, start a fire, and be cozy in my little house.

The small shed in the picture had its lid ripped off and peeled back like a tin can. In order to get into the shed you can either get into it from the small door, or by lifting up that big heavy lid (which WAS on hinges). It takes most of my strength and momentum just to prop it open. Thats how I know it weighs between 60 and 70 pounds (obviously, my arms aren't buff or built).

It WAS closed tight and secure. I can't believe the wind got under it and ripped it back and off it's hinges like that.

I know this wasn't your idea of a Christmas gift Marty, haha - sorry I can't move it or fix it for you.

Runaway

Meet Jenny.

A sweet lab mix kinda gal who doesn't know how to stay home.

I almost hit her last night when she ran in front of my car. I was taking a friend home at 10pm, the weather was frigid and blowing and I felt awful when I couldn't figure out where she lived. So after knocking on a couple of doors I packed her up and took her home for the night.

She didn't have anything but her rabies tag on so I called her vet this morning and had her owners call me. They had her micro-chipped and the rabies tag on her but of course you can't figure anything out with those at 10pm at night. I suggested an ID TAG. After all, they never run away during business hours.

Pete was ecstatic to have someone fun spend the night (don't worry, they slept in separate beds). Even though it was a pain talking her into my car and worrying about her peeing on my floors (she didn't thank heavens) Pete thought it was all very worth it and thinks we should really do it more often.

This message has been sponsored by the idea of getting ID Tags for your beloved pets.

Our Nations Drunkest Cities...

I saw this in the paper and had to post it. How very sad Anchorage made 2nd drunkest city...

"The Drunkest Cities"
Published in Mens Health Magazine
December 2008

New Year's Day 1916 was rough for Colorado residents looking for a little hair of the dog. On that Saturday, the state stopped all liquor sales, predating Prohibition by 4 years. Today, Colo-rado once again leads the nation in its attitude toward alcohol -- but now, the mandate seems to be "drink till you drop." In our second ranking of urban inebriation, Aurora comes in 82nd, Colorado Springs finishes 98th, and, once again, Denver is Most Dangerously Drunk.

We looked at annual death rates due to alcoholic liver disease, as well as who's headed there by regularly downing five or more drinks in a sitting (CDC). Next, we factored in drunk-driving arrests (FBI) and the percentage of fatal accidents involving intoxicated motorists (U.S. Department of Transportation). Then, after tallying the MADD report card of state efforts to cut down on excessive drinking, we had our ranking and, for the state of Colorado, an invitation to AA.

Most Dangerously Drunk:

100 Denver, CO F

99 Anchorage, AK F

98 Colorado Springs, CO F

97 Omaha, NE F

96 Fargo, ND F

95 San Antonio, TX F

94 Austin, TX F

93 Fresno, CA F

92 Lubbock, TX F

91 Milwaukee, WI F

90 El Paso, TX F

89 Spokane, WA F

88 Washington, DC F

87 Columbia, SC F

86 St. Louis, MO D-

85 Bakersfield, CA D-

84 San Diego, CA D

83 Cheyenne, WY D

82 Aurora, CO D

81 Houston, TX D

80 Portland, OR D

79 Seattle, WA D

78 Boise, ID D

77 Tucson, AZ D+

76 Dallas, TX D+

75 Jacksonville, FL D+

74 Toledo, OH D+

73 Madison, WI D+

72 Oakland, CA D+

71 Modesto, CA D+

70 Billings, MT D+

69 Fremont, CA D+

68 Oklahoma City, OK D+

67 San Francisco, CA D+

66 Sacramento, CA D+

65 Los Angeles, CA D+

64 Phoenix, AZ D+

63 Albuquerque, NM D+

62 Chicago, IL D+

61 Providence, RI D+

60 Fort Wayne, IN C-

59 Manchester, NH C-

58 Charleston, WV C-

57 Burlington, VT C-

56 Lincoln, NE C-

55 Corpus Christi, TX C-

54 Des Moines, IA C-

53 Indianapolis, IN C-

52 Pittsburgh, PA C-

51 Honolulu, HI C-

50 St. Paul, MN C

49 Tampa, FL C

48 Greensboro, NC C

47 Las Vegas, NV C

46 Baltimore, MD C

45 Riverside, CA C

44 Norfolk, VA C

43 Detroit, MI C+

42 Arlington, TX C+

41 Grand Rapids, MI C+

40 San Jose, CA C+

39 St. Petersburg, FL C+

38 Nashville, TN C+

37 Charlotte, NC C+

36 Wilmington, DE C+

35 Orlando, FL C+

34 Minneapolis, MN C+

33 Kansas City, MO C+

32 Fort Worth, TX C+

31 Tulsa, OK C+

30 Anaheim, CA B-

29 Wichita, KS B-

28 Lexington, KY B-

27 Philadelphia, PA B-

26 Montgomery, AL B-

25 Rochester, NY B-

24 Raleigh, NC B

23 Cincinnati, OH B

22 Louisville, KY B

21 Bangor, ME B

20 Memphis, TN B

19 Boston, MA B

18 Hartford, CT B+

17 Sioux Falls, SD B+

16 Birmingham, AL B+

15 Baton Rouge, LA B+

14 Columbus, OH B+

13 Cleveland, OH B+

12 Atlanta, GA B+

11 Newark, NJ B+

Least Dangerously Drunk:

10 Jersey City, NJ B+

9 Richmond, VA B+

8 New York, NY B+

7 Little Rock, AK A-

6 Salt lake City, UT A-

5 Yonkers, NY A-

4 Jackson, MS A

3 Buffalo, NY A

2 Miami, FL A

1 Durham, NC A+

Last Call
Studies show that state laws that put strict limits on where and when alcohol can be sold help cut the number of booze-induced trips to the E.R. -- and the morgue. That's because self-destructive drinkers tend to buy alcohol impulsively and at late hours. Go to alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov to see if your state could use a stronger stance.

Deputize Yourself
Roughly 1.4 million people are arrested for DUIs each year, but Mothers Against Drunk Driving estimates that for every driver cuffed, another 88 are never pulled over. Use your cellphone to lower that number. Besides the obvious indicators of intoxication, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also cites subtler signs, such as someone making extra-wide turns, going straight through a turn-only lane, or driving with his or her face close to the windshield. If the clues accumulate, make the call. (In many states, 311 is nonemergency dispatch.)

I only have one thing to add from the Bible...

Galatians 5:19-26
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Secrets and Gossip?

"If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees. ~ Khalil Gibran

I just love this quote. It's a great reminder for my big mouth.

Dreaming

A few nights ago I dreamt Marty and I saw an old friend of ours. During the the whole visit with this friend I was really bothered because he looked so different, yet I couldn't figure what was different about him.

A few hours after I woke up it finally struck me like a cooking pan to the head.

He had hair.

In real life our friend has been almost completely bald on top, the whole time we've known him.

I find it so odd that my subconscious decided to put hair on his head. Until that dream, I had never thought of him with hair in the entire 10 years we've known him.

Snow

It's snowing..

Right now

Really hard.

I'm not quite ready for this yet.

What stage are you?

We went to a marriage seminar last week. The Anchorage Church of Christ had 2 guest speakers that led the seminar. A really good team, who happened to be husband and wife.

Things are great with Marty and I, but I figured there's always room for improvement - mainly where I'm concerned. In case your wondering why we went.

I learned a lot, now the trick is putting what I learned into practice. And with my stubborn will, it'll only happen by the grace of GOD. Thankfully God likes to lend a hand in areas like these.

Anyway, this chart below was something that was touched on during the weekend. I love it and had to share it. I know you married people out there can appreciate it.



His point was that every marriage goes through these stages. He pointed out that divorce only happens in stage 2, so a struggling couple just has to focus on getting through to stage three.

This was not the "solve-all" to a good marriage but again, just a small thing he showed that I thought was neat. And very true.

Oh, by the way...

No fighting with your spouse about which stage your in.

Vrrrrooomm

I couldn't help but notice the Finley's new hot rod last week when I stopped by for a quick visit.


There's nothing like showcasing your sports car on a nice and green lawn while the suns out.



What's even funnier is that little Caleb has already figured this out, and he's not even 5 years old yet.

Prudhoe Bay Flight Problems

North Slope workers' close call
KTVA, Channel 2 News
by Bianca Slota

Thursday, August 2, 2007
View Video - (internet explorer only)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Shared Services Flight shuttling North Slope workers from Deadhorse to Anchorage had to be turned back Tuesday after an engine on the plane failed.

The flight operators said it was a minor incident with no cause for alarm, but employees on the slope describe it as just the latest in a string of problems that has made them afraid of flying with their employers.

ConocoPhillips operates Shared Services Aviation as a free flight service for North Slope employees. The flights used to be operated by Alaska Airlines but are now operated by Northern Air Cargo.

On Tuesday at 12:15 p.m., Flight 151-152 from Deadhorse to Anchorage experienced engine failure. Pilots turned the plane around and landed back at Deadhorse.

SSA sent a message to all North Slope workers which said:
"From the initial inspection, it appears that the mounting for the right engine nose cone, a small protective cover on the center of the engine inlet, broke, causing the nose cone to damage the compressor. This disrupted the airflow and caused the engine to backfire. The same part on the other SSA engines was inspected to ensure that there are no issues."

Passengers on board the plane say it seemed much more serious to them. One man sent an e-mail to Channel 2 News, stating,

"It was a very troubling situation in which the flight attendants were yelling to the passengers to grab our ankles and put our heads down for what seemed to be several minutes. I thought I was going to die. The pilot managed to get us turned around and we landed on one engine."

As word about the incident spreads, so does fear among slope workers. One man, who asked not to be identified, said there were many concerns.

"The concerns are that we're afraid that they're gonna wait until a major catastrophe happens before they address the issues completely, before they get new aircraft. That's what our concerns are. We're very much concerned for our safety," he said.

The plane that experienced the engine failure is now out of service and another from the fleet is out for routine maintenance, so SSA is operating five flights with just one plane.

BP Exploration sent a message to its employees and contractors saying that flights are now limited to essential employees only.

SSA said the FAA has been alerted about the incident. The failed engine will be shipped to an overhaul for complete analysis, and, in the meantime, another engine has been sent to Deadhorse and will be mounted on the plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was contacted about an incident earlier this year in which the flight crew thought it had an engine stall on approach.

But a spokesperson for the NTSB said the board couldn't find evidence of the stall.

It has looked into other reports of engine problems and said it has found nothing out of the ordinary and nothing to be concerned about.

Contact Bianca Slota at bslota@ktuu.com

Baby Fun

It's been a while again. Time seems to be getting away from me a lot lately.

I've been watching the cutest little 9 month old little girl for the last few days. She belongs to a foster family from our church. They have one other foster child who had to see a medical specialist in Seattle so I was the lucky gal who got to babysit the sweet girl for 3 days. They get back from Seattle tonight, so other than nap times, I'm sucking up as much baby fun as I can.

It's funny, we've been thinking for a while now about becoming a foster family. When I told our friend she asked if we'd like to have a test run. haha I'm so glad I did it!!

The only thing I really need to work on is keeping up with the messes I'VE created while she's been here. There mostly cleaned up now but let me just say.... YIKES! Instead of traveling with one set, I've had toys, blankets, binkies, and burp-up-rags scattered between 3 rooms since Monday.

April stuff

I took a trip to Homer back in April and mom and I spent a day driving around and seeing old places we haven't seen in a while. I got some interesting pictures, but since that was the busiest month I've had in a few years I never found time to post them before forgetting about them all together.






Funky pyramid house down by the bluffs.

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This house isn't anything special, but their fence is.



If you click on this picture, you can see it larger in another window. The driftwood top looks so neat. I would love to do something like this at my house after seeing this.

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Mom kept telling me I had to see the new winery out at Bear Creek. I wasn't super excited because I've never liked the taste of wine. She insisted the place had neat stuff though so off we went.


On the way there we passed this wine bottle garden. If you click on the picture to see it enlarged it looks a little neater. I thought it was surely created by the winery but they new nothing about it. Which was strange because it was two driveways away. Must be a happy customer?




I wasn't as excited about their shop but I loved their carved bears.

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Scary looking monster boat we found in the back of the Homer Boat Yard.