One more down day

And then we are off and running for the week!  Haley has a workshop every morning this week, the kids regular sessions at the charter school, music lessons, scouts and swimming!!!

I managed to get into town on Friday with our icy back roads and all.  As soon as I hit the main road it was clear of snow and ice.  About a mile of road and our drive was pretty scary.  It wasn’t sanded and it was just solid ice.  After getting home I decided I wouldn’t leave again unless absolutely necessary.  If I slid off the road a mile from home I could walk home no problems.  Or in reality skate.  But I just didn’t think it was worth to go anywhere else yesterday.

Haley & Hunter had planned for friends to spend the night on Friday.   A brother/sister similar ages so it usually works out perfect.  I called the mom and warned her of our icy road and let her make her own decision if she wanted to drive the kids over or not.  She braved it and dropped the kids off and then on Saturday she came with her husband driving to pick the kids up.  But she did say the road was much better & sanded except of course for our short side road and our drive. 

The boys and I have done a little sanding by pulling sled loads of gravel and throwing it on the drive but it takes a lot of sled loads.  It has gotten a little better by just doing that.   In the past we have used the 4 wheeler with a trailer behind it and got it done very quickly.  However the 4 wheeler has a flat and the air compressor isn’t working.  Go figure.  I have thought Jeremy will be home to use the tractor and take care of the drive but he continues to work late every single night.  He didn’t get home until after 10 last night and left again this morning at 7:3o it will be another very long day for him.   He is hoping he can have a day off on Wednesday which would mean finally a day off after 18 days. 

Spending time at home I have done lots of baking.  I am mastering the art of baking bread I think.   I successfully made hoagie rolls on Friday and they are already gone.  I thought Jeremy might appreciate really good sandwiches on his long busy days.  I bought tons of sandwich fixins and I was going to buy these hoagie rolls and they just didn’t look that fresh or great.  Also they were kind of spendy for not looking that great and our grocery bill gets outrageos these days.    I thought I would just try to make my own hoagies and if they flopped…..well….there’s always bread.   I used the same recipe for my french bread and I divided it into 6 sections and made my rolls, let them rise, baked for 15 minutes and they turned out fantastic!

Our weather has been incredible!  Just warm and Spring like!  Yesterday we were all outside taking in the sunshine and 45 degree temps!  So nice!!!!!  Last night it was clear, the stars were out and it was WARM.  Very unusual for a clear, warm night in January.  I was  really wishing Jeremy and the boys were home so we could make a fire outside.    The boys got home just before Jeremy last night cause they went with friends to a hockey games.  A fire seemed like too much work for Haley & me.  So we watched a movie and made chocolate chip cookies instead.

Today there will be football playoffs and later a new episode of 24!  🙂  Dad might stop out if he is feeling good.  He said he had flu-ish symptoms yesterday so we’ll see for him.  Nicki and the boys might stop out too but they are all sick with colds and coughs.  We’re completely healthy here and I don’t want any of it! 

 I am going to make some homemade pizzas later.  Another thing I am mastering I think.  We started making the crust in our cast iron skillets and it makes the BEST pizza!  I pre-bake the crust a little bit and then add the toppings and bake again.  Tanner loves a thick crust so he has been very happy.  The fajita skillet pans work great for a thinner crust for me!    Making pizzas is something that takes time but is fun to do if everyone is just chillin’ and hanging out in the kitchen. 

So there is what’s been going on!  Later!  🙂

 

 

January Thaw

I can hardly believe it is almost 50 degrees this morning.  We can see patches of grass in January!  How crazy is that???

Well the roads are much better but our drive however is completely icy.    It’s a huge sheet of ice with a few patch of gravel poking through.  Jeremy didn’t get home till after 10 last night and hasn’t had time to take care of anything else than work these days.  He’s pretty wiped out.  The boys are going to throw some sand and gravel out on it so I can venture into town and stock up again.  We ran out of coffee this morning…and thought we had a back up bag of coffee beans in the pantry only to find to my horror *gasp* DECAF!  So I have no choice but to brave our icy drive and go in town.  It’ll be good for me I know.

Yesterday I actually had a very productive day. I did wear my comfy pajama pants all day but I also did not lay around and read, watch tv or nap.  I had a burst of energy and cleaned bathrooms, vacuumed,  changed sheets, made banana bread and rocked out with the kids on Rock Band.  They unlocked a bunch of very cool songs and we had to try them all out!   Classics from The Who, Steve Miller Band, Kansas, Journey, ACDC & Bon Jovi!    It’s hard for me to even put ACDC or Bon Jovi in the “classic” category but the kids date me and remind me constantly that some of my favorite songs that I love are 20…30…+  years old.  

Besides rocking out & doing things around the house we also had a pretty productive day homeschooling.  Kids did lots of things on their own but we also did a few science experiments.  We learned about Newton’s 1st law of motion.    We used the ice outside for sliding and learned the principle an object in motion stays in motion.   We also did a few experiments inside with pennies and eggs for the principle of an object at rest tends to stay at rest.  Out of the 4 of us we only broke one egg!    Not too bad when 1/2 the time I break a few eggs just bringing them home from the store!!

Day 2 Homebound

Today all activities cancelled again.  Schools in the valley closed for another day.   What a relief for me!  I absolutely hate driving on icy roads.  If activities weren’t cancelled…I would have cancelled them anyway.  

Our driveway looks like an ice rink.  The kids have loved sliding around on it and playing in the warm winds.  It’s hard to believe just a week ago it was 70 degrees colder.   

Jeremy has been having to work late almost every night and has been coming home around 9 or 10 pm.  He hasn’t had a day off since January 3rd.  

Kids and I have been playing lots of  Mancala, Scrabble and Rock Band.   Today I think we will be wild and try a new game.

I have been doing lots and lots of baking.  Last night I successfully made a loaf of french bread.  I made the dough in the bread machine and then baked it in the oven and it was to die for!  Especially since I also turned it into toasted garlic bread.   I called it my “Homemade Homemade Garlic Bread” since usually my homemade garlic bread is from french bread bought at the store.    It could have been a meal in itself but I decided to make a pan of lasagna with it.    I tried whole wheat lasagna noodles for the first time and they rock!   Yum…I know what I am having for lunch in a little bit!

I don’t feel too inspired to get much done around the house.  I have plenty of time but not the oomph to do anything.  Is it wrong to be wearing fleece pajama pants for 2 days straight?  (I HAVE showered though!)  

What I really feel  like doing is curling up with a book and reading for a few hours , then taking a nap and then watching TV.  Repeat.  I feel like being completely and utterly lazy.   Which never happens for me….I am thinking of taking advantage of this urge and going with it!

This winter is really getting to me.

Staying Home

We’ve had a huge swing in weather.  Last week the bitter cold and today temperatures near 40 and rain.    The roads are very icy and schools are closed today.  Which most wouldn’t think it would effect us since we homeschool but it does.  The boys classes at the charter school are cancelled and so is swimming.  I am relieved to have a day at home but the kids are very disappointed.    

Jeremy had no choice on working today.  Even with icy roads there is still work to be done.  He is taking care of a few homes that were flooded from frozen pipes breaking and they have to be dried out and monitored.     

As I write this at 9 am it is still dark.  I can hear the wind rustling outside and  the forecast predicts possibly 60 mph winds for the next few days.  Hopefully we won’t lose power…..but  if we do it’ll be a great day to curl up with a book and play games with the kids.

Cold Lingers On

And on…and on…

Another morning to wake up to -20 temps.  The forecast said it was to warm up today or tomorrow.  Hoping they are right.   The cold is getting very old. 

It changes everything.    We want to stay in.  We don’t want to go anywhere because that means getting out of the car to walk in somewhere.  You figure out ways to get by and just make do… and don’t do anything unless you feel like you have to.

I’m thankful we have had just temps of -20 or -30.  Other places within 10 miles of us have had temps staying in the -30’s and -40’s range.    Record low temps have hit other places of the state. -64 in Chicken and  -78 near Tok.  That is seriously cold!!!

Vehicles break down in the cold and there are more problems for people.  The repair shops and auto parts stores can’t keep up and are out of stock of many needed items.  

Homes are harder to heat and we have seen some sad stories on the news of people dying in house fires.  One story most recently was a trailer house fire with 2 boys in it that were similar ages to my boys.  The oldest is in critical condition and the youngest sadly didn’t make it.    A reminder for us which made us review with the kids what we do in a fire emergency.

Trucks shipping produce and groceries broke down in Tok and in Canada.  The produce shelves had a huge percentage empty when I went grocery shopping last weekend.   I was planning on making a big salad and there was not one tomato.  Not one head of lettuce or bag of lettuce.  Some of the shelves were completely out of things as well.  It was a reminder how dependent Alaska is on the Lower 48 for shipping groceries.  Many old timers here recall times when you had to be prepared more when living in Alaska.  It really hasn’t been that long ago since Alaska was a time of no Cost-cos, Wal-marts and Targets.  The state is only 50 years old.   When we moved to Alaska almost 15 years there wasn’t even a Wal-mart in Wasilla.  The main road we drive on to get to our house was a narrow dirt road. 

Times have changed but somethings haven’t.  The way we still get goods to Alaska is still very much the same.  If there was some major catastrophe in the Lower 48 all shipping to us would most likely cease.  It is a little bit scary but also something to think about and to prepare for.  I already have plenty of staples in my pantry but I am going to set up some emergency Rubbermaid containers full of flour, sugar, yeast, powdered milk, pasta, rice, dried beans & canned goods.    Being prepared will bring a peace of mind….just in case….

Bullwinkle in our front yard just a few days ago.

I got this picture out of our bedroom window with my camera on a tripod.

Cold…dark…long days

All three have been tough lately. 

We have had days of -2o or colder.  That’s just too cold to do anything outside.   It’s hard on everyone.  No one wants to go outside.  No one wants to go anywhere.  The dogs don’t even want to go outside and they will usually last approximately 2.2 minutes.  Not that I have timed them or anything.  We’re burning through a ton of wood in our outside wood furnace and our fireplace inside. Tons and tons of wood.  And any paper or cardboard product.  Why fill a landfill or recycle when you can heat your house?   It is always very nice to have a nice toasty fire though!

Tomorrow we will get back into some of our routines.  We’ll start back up on homeschooling and start  getting our samples ready  for the first semester.   Music lessons start this week again and then next week the kids other classes. 

We’ve had a pretty good week.  The kids have been having fun playing Rock Band and playing with neighbor kids.  There have been sleepovers, football games, hockey games,  movies watched and games of mancala. 

Last month I discovered facebook and have had fun with that.  I’m finding old friends and family and it’s a great way to catch up and keep in touch.   Right now I am loving facebook and that’s where I am spending most of my time on the internet these days.  

 I am reading Eat, Pray, Love for the 4th or 5th time.  I can’t remember really how many times I have read it… but I just love the book.  I’m almost done with it so I’ll need to find a new book fast!  

I have been experimenting with my camera and trying to figure out all the different settings.  It’s a Nikon D4o…if anyone knows of a great book or website on digital photography I would love to check it out!   I have my camera ready to go on the tripod for the perfect alpine glow or moose visitor that might wander on our property.   

On Friday I had my first soccer practice and it ended up being pretty fun.  When it was time to go to it…. I really didn’t want to go.  I was feeling like the biggest dork and soooo out of my comfort zone.  But I had fun when I got there…even with not knowing much about soccer…even with passing the ball to the wrong person…even with missing the ball instead of kicking it… It still was a ton of fun because I laughed at myself and had fun!  I did kick the ball, pass the ball and figured a few things out …..I still have a lot to learn and am just a” little” bit worried about this week’s game!

So… that’s the latest news….my goal is to keep these long, cold dark days full of inspiring, fun, motivating things for us all to do…and when it warms up sledding, skiing, icefishing and snowmachining….January will surely whiz by then!