My husband likes to fight...

He fights every Sunday. And the opponent usually wins.

Although, he does hold his own. And we do end up eating the opponent, its still a fight. Judging by the looks of things right now, I'd say, the cornstarch is up, two to zip.



Sunday's for us, if we're not at camp, mean a day of laziness. For real, I did read TWO books yesterday, and finished a seal skin hat (but I only had to sew the velcro straps on) and ate. That was pretty much it. I think I got up around 3-ish and went to the bathroom, maybe. Oh, nevermind, I went to the store and got butter and milk.



Dean on the other hand, has a fight with the kitchen on Sundays. He always makes brunch. Since the Superbowl is coming up, and the Food Network always has great Superbowl recipes, he decided to make hot wings. From scratch.



And he doesn't like to follow directions either (shame if you try to tell him what to do!) so his recipes are always super awesome, but can NEVER be duplicated. So, me, being the coolest wife EVER, !!!! (right honey!?) started writing things down for him. You know, so I could totally use them in MY cookbook someday. ( :) ) Anyway, his wings were the greatest hot wings I've EVER had. Even though mine weren't hot. You see, he loves me, so he made me my own special plate, with his own special honey-soy-Tabasco-garlic-something sauce, so my mouth wouldn't burn to oblivion with actual HOT wings!



We even dug out the Fry Daddy (or baby, or whatever we received as a wedding present from J&D, THANKS!) and some oil. (And we would have used Peanut Oil, but I don't think the store in Kotzebue even KNOWS what Peanut oil is, so we use Vegetable oil.)



The first batch was pretty good, but dang, when he started dredging the wings in cornstarch right before putting them in the fryer, HOLY CRAP it was GOOD!



I totally didn't want to be outdone (again) so I made a batch of Pico De Gallo to go with our brunch. We finished EVERY SINGLE one of those wings, and only half the Pico. Bummer.



Judging by the looks of the clothing Chef Dean finished with though, I'd say that possibly this round was a tie.

Kiviter Kiviter, number one...

(Beware: There is a lot of complaining going on here. Just warning you. Don't get all freaky on me now, just let me complain a bit ah?!)

Seriously, how much is it to ask for just a week of NOTHING?!

One week. One week of no worries, one week of no anger, one week of no disappointment. One week.

I TRY real hard to stay positive with everything that happens here. I mean, seriously, I should get a medal or something for still smiling after all the shit I've been through. See, its even got me cussing on my blog. (Sorry.)

I mean, I have my health, (sort of), my kids are OK, (sort of), I have a house (sort of), a stable job (sort of), and a vehicle (sort of). The only 100% for sure, not gonna change, perfect situation in my life right now, is my marriage. Luckily, my marriage is freakin stable, or I might lose it. Its extremely hard to stay positive when it seems like everything is falling apart around you. Seriously, you should try it sometime, before telling me to "stay positive," "keep your head up," "don't give up..." Of course I'm not giving up. And sometimes, I just need to let it OUT. So, since this is my personal blog...I'm letting it out.



Lets just go back within the past four months. FOUR MONTHS of adversity. Four months of crap. October was horrendous. The beginning of a lifelong disease that affects me EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Then I lose out on FOURTEEN THOUSAND dollars of pay, because of this disease. Seriously, I didn't work and lost out on fourteen grand. Fourteen grand that was supposed to go toward stove oil, mortgage, insurance, and plane payments. Thank God for Alaska Airlines credit cards, Mother in Law's and Bake Sales. Say it with me, fourteen thousand.

Then my son is ATTACKED by some a$$hole who thinks they're stealing from a snowmachine 100 yards away from them. Then that jerk-off gets away with damn near everything in the book. And my child questions the judicial system, the police force, etc. Thirteen year old boys shouldn't have to live their lives questioning the judicial system. They should be going through adolescence without worrying if they're going to get jumped and then get blamed for minding their own business. As a matter of fact, the lint licker who attacked them is having a grand old time on his vacation in Hawaii. While my son is afraid and his friend is in crutches because he was hurt so bad, he was medevaced to Anchorage and had surgery for two broken bones. Hmm, Hawaii / broken bones... Hawaii / broken bones. Yeah.



THEN, my other son (step-son) is admitted to the hospital because he has fluid around his brain, and 3 successive Cat scans later, he has BRAIN surgery, and a shunt put in. She-who-shall-remain-unnamed swears that the 10 year old was born with the "disease" that is just now coming out. No comment.

And now...we get a knock on the door today, after my morning of relaxing. (spoke too soon I guess) There is a LAKE behind our garage/shop. A lake. And that lake is coming toward, or FROM our house. Now the weather has been frigid cold, in the minus 30's for a few weeks, and it wouldn't surprise anyone that pipes freeze and burst. But, we can't figure out where its coming from. Our house? Neighbor's? The easement? Whatever the case may be, there's a freakin lake behind our shop, and its going to screw up the ground on which my ENTIRE HOUSE SITS. Cha Ching, there's another ten thousand dollar fix.

Other things have happened, but I only wanted to talk about the funny things. Or those things that could be construed as funny. Shoot, that lake is big enough that my dog is LOVING it. I'm just trying to stay above water. Barely. BUT.....

Optimism is the ability to turn difficulties into opportunities. Though I don't know what "opportunities" we'll have if we find out that the LAKE behind our garage is our fault, but I guess we'll find out. Too bad we didn't have ducks still, cause I'd let them go swimming right now. At least my dog is enjoying it, its his watering hole of choice right now. (Don't worry dog lovers, we checked it, sort of... and its good. He ain't dead yet.)

I know it would be so much easier to succumb to those negative forces and give up then to snow blow through it and punch that adversity in the nuts. But, seriously...Gotta stay happy about something. I had a great cup of coffee this morning. My son made me "Russian Tea" mix, and I had a cup of that too right before I started bawling. (I should cry more often, because seriously, I started crying, and EVERYONE jumped. "What can we do?!" "Mom, do you want a cup of tea?" etc... )



Optimism isn't a statement, or two statements...its a way of life. One that I hope I'm living, and more so, I hope I'm teaching my kids to live it. Life's not fair. Obviously, just take a look at ANY year of my life. ANY ONE. And you'll see that it really isn't. But, like people have told me, "thanks for being positive." Its hard, VERY hard to do that when certain things happen. Especially in a village known for many bad, bad things. Its hard, but someone's gotta do it.

I think people tend to immerse themselves in the problems. Woe is me. Infinite victim. Forget that there are many, many people (friends and family) who make a support system that will help you. You just have to ask sometimes.

Back in October, when my hands and feet (yes, both) looked like this:





I HAD to maintain a sense of humor. Had to. Without that sense of humor I would have given up long ago. Halloween had previously been a HORRIBLE holiday for me. Because of things that had happened on previous Halloween's. BUT, this year, I was wheeled around by my friend and scared the crap out of all the kids who came near. And you know what, while those kids were crying from looking at my hands and listening to my hoarse voice (that I made that way)...I laughed. I laughed so hard I almost peed. Because, what else can you do?!

Raaaawwrrr!!!



I guess you could say...my wine glass is half FULL! :)

NOORVIK, AK photos

I'm tired...real tired. So, I'll just post some photos of my trip to Noorvik for the 2010 census.

Although, I was telling the Director of the Census Bureau that he should have come out of Clifton's house and said..."ONE!" Or better yet, "Atausriq!" (Inupiaq for One) That way, he would have actually, COUNTED him!!!

This week has been mighty hectic... Travel, meetings, and more travel, that was canceled due to 50 mile-an-hour winds in the villages. So, we're leaving Monday instead. I think I'll go to camp to unwind. Whew...

Enjoy this Eskimo Candy for your eyes:


I love to watch Elder's laugh...they are so beautiful!


Wolf Mittens, similar to the ones I made Dean for Christmas, except these have EYES...how come I didn't thik of that!?


Bunch of stuff, but the most important would be the Blazo box made into a sled!


Beaded house slippers. Ahhh, I want a pair!


Seal Hook...when your seal is on thin ice, after you've shot it, throw this at it and hook it into your boat!


Use THIS rope and tie it onto your hook! This rope is made from a single hide of a bearded seal cut spirally. It's pretty strong now, and can pull a car out of a ditch (it HAS!) but braided into three, it could probably pull a house.


Eskimo Rubber Boots. Waterproof mukluks. These are sewn a certain way wet, and when they dry, its watertight.


Tutluliks!!! YAY... My favorite kind of mukluk!


Me...always sewing. Sigh... (Right now I'm making a pair of sealskin gloves for Dean...)


Old harpoon tip made with ivory.


I believe this is a fishing seine. Its made with a white gunny sack!!! Eskimo's recycle everything!


Berry picking spoon and basket.


Beautifully beaded kuppaq (parky or mukluk trim).


Furthest away is a barrel, used to store Seal Oil, berries and the sort. They were Butter barrels off the boat. Closer to the camera are berry baskets. :)


Once, I ran out of a doghouse for Nugent. I think I just found some new ones... :)


I absolutely LOVE how the elders dress in the outlying communities...beautiful I tell ya, beautiful!


It was A LITTLE BIT stormy in Noorvik. I was "stuck" there for a few extra hours. Stuck is an understatement...they fed me and all was grand!


And lastly, my wonderful beautiful friend Evik eskimo dancing.

First People...First to be counted.

Hello from Noorvik, AK.

Its been a beautiful trip so far. If you've never been to Noorvik, I'd highly suggest it. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous (photos to come soon, I didn't bring my cord!), and the people are completely generous.

As a speaker stated to the Census counters, "Don't assume that because a house is dilapidated and worn down, that there are no residents. Knock, chances are, those are the people who will be inviting you in to eat dinner with them, even if they don't have anything to eat."

The people are generous. Oh, did I already say that? Well, its worth a second mention. Not only are they generous, they are kind, humble, and work extremely hard. So, Thank you people of Noorvik. This Inupiaq appreciates the welcome.

The 2010 census is extremely important to the people of our region. Kotzebue, AK (where I live) has the HIGHEST COST OF LIVING IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. Seriously, I mean it. And, Noorvik and the other surrounding villages cost even more. But, the "study" naming Kotzebue didn't travel to the smaller villages to check. The higher the population, the more beneficial funding we recieve for programs in the region.

So, if you're in the region, and reading this blog...please, please participate in the 2010 census. What's their saying? "Ten questions, ten minutes..." It will make a difference to us.

As our shirts say, we passed out this morning..."I am Inupiaq, and I count."

As for now, the elder Clifton Jackson was counted today at 1:30 pm and we've had our welcomes and speeches, so now its time for FUN! Potluck first, Eskimo dancing next. Can't wait.

Hello out there...

Nice to meet you.

Oh, look, for those of you who don't read the Anchorage Daily News...we're famous.

"We" being my sister, Chicken Momma, her boyfriend, Eskimo Power, and me...Finnskimo. (You know, I've always wanted to be called "FOOD PORN!" Isn't that great!!!??)

But only for the next day or so, until some other great person comes along and steals our thunder and glory! Or, actually, that's quite OK with me.

Just don't get mad at me for killing mice. Seriously, everyone does it, and I'm completely normal. (and I did read a lot of books and shoot other things in my spare time.)

On another note...for all of you regular followers. I'll be in Noorvik, AK this week to help out the national media for the 2010 Census. The first enumerated person will be from Noorvik, and I get to be there and watch.

When he was told he was the FIRST, he replied, "Oh Shucks." (His niece told me that today!)

Sorry though, can't tell you who it is. Top Secret information. If I tell you, I'll have to .... nevermind.

Well, see y'all on the flip side. Or at least on Tuesday when I get back.

Toothless in Alaska

Apparently, Eskimo's have bad teeth.

Well, maybe they don't have bad teeth, because I mean, how could evolution grant a meat eating, blubber chewing, mukluk making breed with weak teeth?

When my aana was younger and had her own set of teeth, I remember watching her and her Uuma's (friends) chew on ugruk skin for mukluk bottoms. That's how I learned to sew Ugruk, suck on the skin until its soft and pliable, then you can get your needle in and out easily. This wears down Eskimo teeth like no other.



People sometimes tease saying things about missing teeth, and gaps in smiles of Eskimo's, but its not entirely their fault.

I simply believe it was a combination of many things that made Eskimo's have weak teeth. The first inclination of a dentist is to pull a tooth that has a cavity, possibly because they don't want to fill it, or bother with the caps. I don't know really. But I've come across that more than once. When I needed a root canal on a tooth of mine, the dentist simply said, "come back in a week and we'll pull it out."

WHAT?! Rather than a root canal, on only one root? Pull it out?! Uh, no. So, I just went to another dentist, until I found one who said, "Oh, a root canal, let me schedule it for you."

Combining that pull-at-the-sign-of-a-cavity thoughts with the introduction of sugar, soda pop, and chips to the mix (which I believe a lot of kids eat/drink on a daily basis) is really the reason people end up with no teeth! (By the say, the dentists NOW have a much better reputation for keeping teeth in our mouths and working on them rather than pulling them out!)

But, what got me on this rant about being toothless is the fact that my daughter FINALLY LOST a tooth. Actually, she lost one on January 8th in the afternoon, and then another one that evening at a friends home.

Coincidentally, she's been waiting FOREVER to lose her teeth, because of all the hooplah and monetary gain from her friends and their tooth fairy stories. She was highly excited. Especially to lose TWO teeth in one day.

Now for the great part: When Koy was a baby, he got his first tooth at about age 6 weeks, and then came an eruption of teeth so severe that he had a mouth full of chompers when he was 8 months old. Imagine my surprise when Kaisa didn't have ONE tooth until she was almost 8 months old!



So, when she lost her tooth on January 8th, 2010, I laughed as I found out after reading a baby book that was half filled out that on January 8th, 2004, she got her first tooth. On the 9th in the morning, she had another tooth!

Her teeth were exactly six years old from start to finish!

She wants to drill little holes in them and wear them around her neck. Cavemanesque I guess.

For now...she'll remain toothless in Alaska until her permanent teeth arrive! And then, I promise, no candy or pop for her!!! haha.

Crunchy and Fresh

Scrunch, scrunch, scrunch...

When the temperature in Kotzebue drops below -20 for weeks at a time, a person has to simply find ways to make the outdoors beautiful.



Walking outside in this type of weather is a feast for your ears. Sound travels much quicker in the cold air and makes for a symphony of people's footsteps, breaths and howling dogs. You could almost do a weather rap with all that ambient noise!

"Ba ha hu ha...its COLD out... BA HA HA HU HA...don't freeze your snout!"

When our daylight gains 4 minutes of sun per day, but you still go to work in the dark and come home in the dark, a person simply has to take a long lunch break to marvel in the beauty of a cold day's sunrise/sunset.



The smoke stacks look like beautiful clouds sprinkled with a Kindergartener's pink painting skills. Electric lines look like sharp cuts in an otherwise perfect blue sky. The moon, which is still up, tries his hardest to peep through the bright light of the sun.

Pretty soon, rather than just brightness, the sun will actually provide some heat and we can take all the kids out fishing on the ice.



As for now though, its dang cold out there and will be for a while. So, marvel at the small things. Like waking up to a 60 degree house, realizing you ran out of stove oil and being happy that it wasn't a weekend where you had to pay a call-out fee! (Then paying $1,000 for 200 gal. of stove oil for the second time this month!)