A busy weekend

that gave the camera many opportunities to click and clack. Let's see if you're still with me at the end of it all!

Jari texted me Friday and said there was a moose laying in the yard. He thought she was probably in labor and was hoping to see a twin birth. She finally got nervous when he inched too close with the camera and took off. I haven't seen any babies and I don't know where she took off to, but she was beautiful! I watched her, thinking I don't know if I could kill one ... even if the freezer is empty!

Saturday brought an afternoon of heart wrenching sorrow. The sun was high in the sky and the day couldn't have been any brighter when Eric and Katrina laid their baby to rest. Some people may think that bringing cameras to funerals is tacky. I believe that the final part of living is death itself. To attain the peace of Heaven is such a victory. Levi Douglas was carried to his resting place by his uncle Kevin and his oldest brother Danny.

Eric and Katrina's youngest child, Henry.

His sister's dresses with their ribbons flowing.

Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. In Alaska, it is legal to make your own coffin. Every wood fiber of this little coffin holds the hands and heart of Levi's dad.

It was a very bright day and we headed over to Richard and Carol's for lunch afterward. Yard full of children playing and deck chairs full of mom's catching sun while the snow was disappearing off Hatcher Pass.

I came home Saturday and worked my tail off. From one project to the next ... I managed to get quite a few things crossed off my list. :) It was a late one when my head finally hit the pillow. I woke Sunday morning, Mother's Day, to this

20 flower pots covered the counter. All painted with chalk board paint. Several weeks ago I had run in to Lowe's looking for chalkboard paint and pots for a fundraiser. Decided then that they cost too much and moved on to the next idea. The point of the chalkboard paint is that you can write and then erase ... changing contents and not wondering what is in the pot. (Another magazine idea from a while ago.) Blayde had been navigating Lowe's with me that day. I was a bit shocked to see the counter full of pots. Can't wait to get more seeds and fill them all!

Off to Ryan & Ambers to see Naomi Riitta for the first time. Oh, what a little love!! One look and I said "oh, my goodness!" She is so much her daddy's side of the family. No mistaking that. Even I can see it. The hair? No one knows where that came from. Maybe Pandemonium coffee???  My Anna has another little one to hold. :)

We sat outside for a while, catching rays of vitamin D. Another beautiful day. This child may have quite the tan before too long!

Home to chicken on the grill ... Fred was bbqing. Turned the chicken every 9 minutes for about 80 minutes. It was the best grilled chicken I've ever eaten in my life. Along with grilled potatoes and carrots. Yum!

Forgot to bring the camera to church with us and then when I had the thought to call Jari to bring it ... the thought sort off flitted away. Last day of Sunday School and Mother's Day combined. The kids all sang a song up in front of the church and then handed out flowers to each of the moms. My class spent it's time potting them. Individual pansy plants transplanted from a starter pack. Super cute idea, Janice!

So we come to Monday. 4 kids are out the door ... 1 more to go this morning. Off to work with me. A stop at the library on the way home. I desperately need something to listen to ... and then maybe off to the potting shed for a few minutes.

Have a safe, healthy and happy week.

Take a little time just for you!

Happy Mothers Day!

Especially to the moms who gave birth to Jari and I ... and have put up with us all our lives. We've moved far away from both of you. Me, a long time ago from my mom and several years ago from we moved far away from Mummu as well.

It was from these women, who stayed home and raised us, that we learned so many of the important lessons of life. How to laugh, love, forgive, work hard, appreciate things such as fine china, a good garage sale and our elderly relatives. We took the lessons we learned from both of them and then set off on our own to raise our own family. We have watched both of them go through many of life's struggles and heartaches. We have watched both of them experience many of life's joys. The growing of families, the birth of so many grandchildren and great grandchildren, the blessing to still be able to enjoy life with their beloved husbands of so many years.

I think that maybe it was from them that we got our love of adventure. Our love of exploring and experiencing new things. Pappa and Mummu rafted the Mat-Su River when they were up here visiting for Amber & Ryan's wedding. Jari and I didn't go that day. The rafts were rather full ... and I wanted them to be able to enjoy their chance. He picked this boquet of wildflowers for her out there on the river's edge.

Adventure must come from both sides of the family. This was Grandma's first tent exprience ... only several years ago. It was about the same year as the river rafting trip. My parents are 10 years younger than Jari's parents and are enjoying their retirement and traveling as much as time will allow. (They're rather busy folks.) This tent had to be traded in for a larger and more comfy one ... that then made it's way to Alaska last summer .. cool weather and all.

We love the fact that we live an age that allows us to communicate with them so easily. Cell phones that ring with text messages at 2:00 a.m. my time with Happy Mother's Day Wishes. I had to giggle when I read that one last night. After answering, the one I got back said something like, "Wow. I thought I'd catch everyone sleeping!" I know that both of you read this blog, so ....

With Heartfelt thanks from both of us for all you have given us,

we wish you both a blessed Mother's Day.

May the rest of your lives be blessed with good health, peace, joy, faith

and the happiness of family (at least some of them!) close by.

We miss you and love you both ... so very much.

Aloha Chicken to Meandering

I deleted the pictures of the Aloha Chicken. I'm not going to share the pictures. It was okay, but I didn't clean my plate. Does that tell you anything? In my opinion, the chicken was really dry ... and I served it with white rice, which I don't like. It may go over well at your house. If you're interested in giving it a try ....

Aloha Chicken

4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken
20 - oz can pineapple chunks
11 - oz can mandarin oranges, drained
1 green or red pepper, chopped
1/4 c onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T soy sauce
1 t fresh ginger, peeled, and grated

Arrange chicken in a slow cooker; set aside. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.

** I sort of drained the pineapple before I looked at the recipe. It didn't reduce the liquid in the crockpot at the end of the day. I had plenty of liquid from the frozen chicken breast.

Let me know if you like it. :)

I found Motivation last night. It was hiding behind Walk Outdoors With Camera and Grab Shovel and Turn Dirt in Flowerbeds. I really think I prefer the walking video to the walking outdoors. Leslie Sansone has you working many body parts ... not just the legs. I need to get some more videos. Have been working with the only one I have. A quick 20+ minutes and it feels like you actually did something. Time to beef up the action and go for a bit more.

While I was meandering outdoors last evening, I found these ...

I think this one is my favorite. Splashes of green against fields of brown. The temp reads 40 degrees this morning with clear skies. By the time I get home today, this picture may have changed dramatically. It is just amazing, this dawning of another summer.

And these?!?!?! Hellooooo. They aren't there anymore. Mom moved them. I wonder what would happen if I waited just as long to cook dinner or buy toilet paper as they wait to move the things I ask them to. I'm telling you. It calls for a strike. Big. Time.

Motivation needed.

Motivation ... where are you? Chatted with Ronda last night on the phone and the plan was that I was going to get up and walk before work this morning. Where am I instead? On this electronic beast in the closet. Tonight. Last night I wasn't so good either. Came home dead dog tired and took a nap after dinner. Then moved down to the laundry room for a while. Great place to hang out and hide. I moved my scrapping stuff down there not too long ago ... and found a few minutes for a bit of creativity. Need a mix of that in life as well.

Last day of senior finals today. Keep the positive thoughts flowing. :)

Have been getting very frustrated with the price of airline tickets lately. Am trying to get Anna to Minnesota ... and I didn't do a good job of budgeting that in. Budget? Okay, I don't have one. I just do what I have to do ... but, egads!

Off to put some Aloha Chicken in the crockpot. If it turns out and is something nearly edible ... I'll share tomorrow morning. Intead. Of. Walking. :)

Memory Lane

I was given the opportunity to leave work about an hour early yesterday.

We run through life at dangerous speeds, trying to cram all kinds of things into it.

Schedules for this, dates for the other.

It is amazing what an hour will do for you.

This is what is happening in my greenhouse at the moment. We put up some climbing screen last night for cucumbers. That is all I've done in there. These are popping up from last year. No water. No attention. Would have thought the tomatoes could do the same thing!

We started throwing some dirt around in the yard. Moving it from where Jari has been digging to my planter "boxes". Still don't know what I'm planting in them, but will start with green beans. We have wonderful soil here. Pays to live "in the ditch". My dirt moving included worm relocation. :) Can you just picture this? My taste buds are just going crazy here. Grilled zucchini? Mmmmm ... can't wait!


After dinner, I started working on a project for Jenny. Am looking through old video tape. My labeling leaves much to be desired ... and we have miles of video. I really mean miles. I was going to snap a picture of the action in the dining room last night and then lost my motivation before I could find the camera. Last night we visited 1994 and 1995. We saw Brock roll from tummy to back, empty cupboards, jump on the swing that held Anna. We watched Anna's baptism, saw that she really DID enjoy her mobile above her crib. We watched the VIPs being air shuttled to the Super Bowl. (The kids liked that?!?) We even went to Sea World last night! We were quite a jet setting crew around here. More to come. Maybe I'll even find the video I'm looking for!

Light out when I go to sleep at 11:00. Really light. Enough that I can see and not trip over things in my room ... even with the blinds closed!

Sunny Monday

Why is it that the weekend is chilly and cloudy ... and come Monday the sun just pops out of it's hiding and the temp heats right up? The kids were off of school yesterday and took advantage of the sun. Sun tans coming right up!

I came home and we finished getting dinner ready. Jari is getting mighty handy with the crockpot. It was filled with ribs yesterday ... with the best bbq sauce I've ever had. Sorry I can't share the recipe ... the bbq donor won't share his mother's secret recipe. He just gives us a gallon here and there. Added some of this

to the dinner plate. Makes me really yearn for corn from Young's Farm or from Minnesota. This stuff may look like corn ... spits like corn ... just doesn't taste the same .. at all.

Off to the washing machine to switch loads and then outside to capture a few minutes of glowing sunshine. The "few minutes" are turning into longer and longer days. Was still light out at 11pm last night when I went to bed. The trees sure like the warmth. Another couple days of this and we'll be in full bloom!

Being as the porch was readying 73 degrees ... I grabbed my sanding blocks and sand paper and tried to finish up a project. To do it right I should probably go get a dab of wood putty and another sanding block. Then start shopping for a finish for this couch. Instead, for the time being, I wiped away the sanding dust, hauled up the cushion and threw the same blanket on again. It'll work for now. Maybe in the next couple of weeks I can get the rest of it done. This couch has been my nearly bestest ever garage sale find. Thanks to Alyx. I wouldn't have hauled it home! It is the most heavenly place to nap in the summer time. Out on the porch, surrounded by growing greens.

I've been trying to be good in the last several weeks. Keeping track of how much chocolate is going down the gullet, eating off a salad plate instead of a dinner plate at dinner (when I remember) and trying to walk. Post 40 age and the love of chocolate was driving the scale to very undesirable destinations. I've been doing pretty good and walking the mile with Leslie in the basement. Last night I tied on the tennies and headed up the road. 1.8 miles to the end and home again. Chalk that one up! I've given myself until May 22nd to step on that blasted scale. (I really regret ever buying one, but the airline charge so blasted much if your bag is overweight that we needed one!)

Strawberries were a steal this weekend ... how better to reward a nice walk than with this?!

Senior finals this week. Eeeck!!! Already?!!

Aaaahhhh ...

finally Saturday.

I've been dreaming of dirt.

Was starting to be a problem ... that dreaming stuff.

I really do love the fact that seed packets have so many seeds, but how many pepper plants do I really need? Tomatoes? Cucumbers?

They all got transplanted today into larger containers.

Ran out of containers and moved on to paper cups.

Whatever works is my motto around here.

I think I moved 24 cucumber plants. Do you think I'll have enough of them?

Last year I learned something new. There are different types of cukes. Special ones for pickling cucumbers. I went ahead and picked what I had, but this year ... we're trying several varieties. The fingers are crossed. I'm thinking about piping Mozart out to the greenhouse come June 1st.

I'll share my tomato learning curve another day. I would like just one decent size tomato this year. I'd be thrilled that I made it that far! Enough to can would be just the cat's meow, but one would make me proud.

While I spent a few minutes playing with dirt ... Jari got out his big boy toy and worked on clearning some more stuff. Oh my goodness. It is quite the pile he's moving. Sort of the pile of trees after clearing and putting in a new septic the other summer. We are seriously going to need a riding lawn mower when this project is done.

My tulips won't grow much bigger than this. Isn't it just a shame? I'll never see a tulip bulb out of this plant. Sooner or later (should Lowe's ever get their stock in) I'm going to move this pathetic thing and fill in with Hostas. Tulips might just be in the same category as the tomato around here.

Buds are on trees everywhere. It is just awesome!! I love this time of year. Wrong. I love all times of the year. The birth of spring and green is really one of God's most amazing miracles. We have a party here 2 weeks from today. I'm betting that when I go to post pictures from it ... they'll all be green. (Full of mosquitos too .. but it comes with the territory.)

Does one ever tire of capturing their children's growth? I doubt it. The child tires of the mother behind the lens. I don't know that the mother ever tires.

This one hasn't shouted STOP yet.

This evening we spent with a houseful of friends. Eric and Katrina lost their baby today. God lent Levi to his parents for several brief hours and then called him home to Heaven. Our hearts ache for the entire family. I believe that God has a reason for everything we go through in this life .. perhaps is isn't ours to understand the reason ourselves. With every trial he sends comfort and strength to continue on this path we walk. 

As we left to go home this evening, I was watching the mountains being wrapped in the clouds that surrounded them. How blessed we are to go through life with such a wonderful support network of family and friends. At times we may feel like we are that lone mountain. Standing and weathering the winds and storms of time, sometimes so ravaged by sadness and loss. The winds change, the seasons change and always there are the clouds. I think I might prefer to think of the clouds as the angelic realm of friends who surround us ...