Craft pumpkins. Carving pumpkins. Sugar pumpkins. Pumpkin pies and pumpkin seeds… this has been the pumpkiniest October ever! I’m glad the kids agree that you’re never too old to carve a jack-o-lantern, and that tradition continued for another year. Sam and Lucy went for traditional jack-o-lanterns. Maggie picked a ghost template, and Clark and collaborated on the “Boo” ghost. He gutted it, and I carved. … Continue reading Pumpkin Mania
These days I’m never sure whether I’m moving forward, backward, or sideways… which made January’s palindrome days sadly validating: February gets me as well: Groundhog day is the perfect way to acknowledge pandemic weeks that blur together in an endless loop. In our house, mornings always start with the miserable task of waking our teenagers. It’s shockingly difficult. Apparently the only thing teens hate more … Continue reading It’s LITERALLY Groundhog Day
Sadly but not shockingly, the year is rounding out with a Christmas tree shortage. Really 2020?! Fortunately, we harvest our tree from the Chugach National Forest each year, which has 5.5 million acres of spruce to share. Access roads and pullouts weren’t plowed like usual, but eventually we found a spot to safely stash the truck while we wandered into the woods. It was an … Continue reading Treepiphany
Due to COVID-19, we’ve now celebrated two quaranteen birthdays. Everything was still locked down when Maggie turned 14 back in April, so she wasn’t able to celebrate with friends at all. We were still determined to get her out of the house, so Clark loaded up the ATV’s and took the kids out to Knik for the first ride of the season. Unfortunately, somewhere along … Continue reading Happy Quaranteens!
It’s hard to believe we are finishing Week 6 of pandemic restrictions in Anchorage. The orders to hunker down are working, and today we celebrate that no new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Alaska! Next week our city begins the slow process of reopening, and I pray our numbers remain under control. In the past few weeks we have established a family routine that … Continue reading Our New Normal for Now
It all started with a leaky kitchen faucet. Little drips, little problems. Clark determined that the faucet needed to be replaced, and I got to thinking how nice it would be to replace the sink as well. I successfully argued that a single basin sink would be more practical, especially when it came to soaking pizza pans, rib racks, and sticky smoked salmon grates. Now … Continue reading Plumbing, Plungers, & Plagiarism
Our backyard chicken trial was such a success that we welcomed eight new laying hens into our flock this spring. We brought them home as baby chicks, but they are now fully grown ladies with gorgeous coloring and feather patterns. Proudly introducing: The good news is that we are already getting 6-7 eggs per day from these ladies, which we didn’t expect until October. Lots … Continue reading Coopers
There are friends, there are families, and then there are friends who feel like family. We are grateful for our Alaskan circle of friends every day, but especially on holidays. How lucky that we have children close in age who genuinely enjoy each other’s company? Our kids have relationships similar to the ones I had with my cousins when I was younger, and it’s been … Continue reading Easter Cheers
Sam participated in the National History Day competition in his 8th grade social studies class last spring. It’s a contest where students research topics of their choice and create projects based on an annual theme. This year’s theme was “Conflict and Compromise,” and project options included documentaries, websites, papers, performances, or displays. Sam and his friend put together a documentary entitled Geneva Conventions: The Laws … Continue reading NYC & DC
We are shockingly ahead of the game this holiday season. It’s not even December yet, and there’s already a stash of wrapped Christmas gifts hidden in our spare bedroom. Time will tell if we finished our shopping too soon. Mathematically, my concern looks something like this: (Average Age of Children x Number of Children) + Days Until Christmas = Odds That Gifts will be Discovered and … Continue reading Alpha, Bravo, Echo, Foxtrot
Profoundly Ordinary 