Like D-day for parents...

V-day.

That's what we call it. There are SOOO many cute things you can make/bake/craft for Valentine's day, but the real reason we call it V-day is because we find out, as parents...who our kids like.

UGH.

"I'm gonna make a special one, just for _____."

"Mom, do you have any sprinkles for ____'s Card?!" (Sprinkles=glitter)

"If I write I <3 U, do you think he will heart me too?!"



Since my wings were cut (my husband quit at Alaska Airlines), I haven't much had the enjoyment of going to Wal-mart for some heart pencils and notepads for a dollar, so now, we have to make everything. Sure, I could have totally bought Valentine's Day cards from the AC, but then everyone would have the SAME cards...and who wants that?!



So, instead...between work, Saladmaster dinner, a basketball game and baking cookies for the classes, we made 40 handmade Valentine's with short encouraging words like, "You R Smart!" "You R my friend." "You R cool!" among the regular V-day themed ones like, "Be mine," and "I like you!"



Since my mom also works at the school and it was only 10:30 p.m. we were really on a roll, they also made special one's for my mom, Dean's mom and their teachers. (I let them sleep until after 8:00 a.m. this morning...and tonight, they're going to bed at 8:00!!!)



This morning...I woke up and started melting chocolate for Chocolate Covered Strawberries, cause you know, we have to send something HEALTHY for a school treat. Besides the low-fat, low-sugar cookies (yeah right) what's better than low-something Chocolate smothered over strawberries...on sale to boot!


Clara - 8, Kaisa - 6

I only have to worry about one (two with Clara) kid though. My son is on a school trip. Lucky for him, they traveled in a 1900, which has 17 seats and a twin turbine engine (pilot's feel free to correct me!) rather than the usual 9 seater, single-prop caravan they usually use to get to Point Hope for a basketball tournament. So, no Valentine's for him. Yay. But, I wonder though, middle school boys and girls together on Valentine's weekend. Hmmm... That's OK, I told my son that every SINGLE person in his school was his cousin. The Whites, Blacks, Asians, Indians, and Eskimo's. EVERYONE. I totally made him believe it too! It's easy to believe though, since I have just about 72 first-cousins. (whew...THANK YOU Aana and Tatta for having SOOO many siblings who had 10 or more kids!)



My husband and son are gone until Sunday, and my sister is on her way to Vegas, so its just me and the girls...my daughter and niece, Clara, this weekend. Sounds like a perfect weekend to watch girly movies and play with makeup. The girls were SO excited to go to school this morning, their lack of sleep didn't deter them from bounding out of bed to rush and get ready. They had Valentine's, Treats and most importantly, their BRAND new outfits from Grandma! Clara mentioned to Kaisa, "Man, it woulda been perfect if we got to curl our hair huh?!"

I'm thinking more like, "Man, it woulda been perfect if we didn't make such a mess last night and a clean-up fairy would make my house clean for the weekend!"




Happy Valentine's Party Day!

Haiti...

I am sitting here at work. I'm a mess. Its a good thing I have such a huge office, my co-workers are passing by, and I'm hysterically crying in here.

I feel... I don't know. What can I do?

Maybe I should tell y'all why I'm crying, eh?! I just read THIS and I feel so compelled to do something, but I just don't know WHAT.

I mean, I've heard about the earthquake, said many prayers, and went on with my life. But, seeing that little boy, and reading about Rita just broke my heart. I do know a couple from Noorvik, AK who are adopting two little kids (babies?) from Haiti who are orphaned. (Guess what? I even took a photo of them, but my computer crashed and photobucket is going dum-dumb, so I don't have one to post...sorry!) So, I briefly came home and asked my husband if we could adopt, but he just looked at me like I was a crazy person with her biological clock going haywire.

Now, I can't stop from researching the orphans and the stories from Haiti...an already disparaged country, just trying to survive. I don't know, maybe its that emotional time of month for me, but I just can't stop crying. It is just so sad. Here I am complaining that my bed isn't soft enough, or my clothes aren't clean enough, or how much I WANT that new kitchen appliance and I.MUST.HAVE.IT! And these children are just waking up in the middle of the night crying out for their mommies, and they don't come to comfort them. Even worse...some of them are amputees...

SO...since I know Jen is good on her word (except I still haven't gotten any Jo-jo's!) to donate $2 for EVERY COMMENT on her blog post I URGE you to take a peek, read Regina's story. Cry with me, and pray with me for Rita and Ray Ray and Tomas. And comment. And research. And google. And cry some more. AND don't forget to COMMENT! (on her blog, not mine)

I wonder now, if I leave a hundred comments, will they be counted as a hundred, or just one?! feel bad cause I don't have a tax return coming, we usually end up paying, and the lake behind our shop has forced us to save at least $10,000 to fix it this spring so we don't have a lot of money, even if we wanted to send some. But, what can I do from here...Alaska. Northern Alaska no less. In a treeless land of snow, tundra and wild animals. And Eskimo's who don't know what to do.

I think I'll make some Valentine's Day Cookies and sell them at the Post Office...proceeds going to an orphanage in Haiti. Someone tell me which one...please.

So, since photoshop isn't up and running... just pretend THESE are Decorated Valentine's Day Cookies PERFECT for your sweetheart...come by the house if you're in Kotz, you know where I live....I highly doubt I could ship these, sorry outsiders. :( My daughter, niece and I will be baking them tonight and tomorrow, decorating them tomorrow night and packaging them on Saturday. PERFECT for SUNDAY DELIVERY! And, they ARE for a good cause, so the charge will be $2 per cookie. (The same price I charged NPS) P.S. I can even make them personalized! (Yay!)

So...Praying for Haiti, and thinking of Valentine's Day. Any of you doing anything to help? I'd love to know.

Finnskimo.

Tea Time...

*YAY Photo's!

I like Coffee as much as any other person does. Probably not as much as the "camp boys" like their coffe...maybe not as much as my MIL likes coffee, but I like me a cuppa joe in the morning...as long as it has some caramel syrup and frothed milk added.

But what I really, REALLY love is tea. I LOVE ginger lemon tea (homemade) with a plop of honey in it. I LOVE Tazo passionfruit tea, and I absolutely LOVE tundra tea...Saiyuu. (say-you)



It may be a surprise, but Tea is the second most consumed drink in the entire world, second only to WATER. If you combine the worlds consumption of coffee, soft drinks AND alcohol, tea would still be number two. (Don't tell the people in Vegas though!) (It's almost like Alaska...cut it in two, and it would STILL be the largest 1st and 2nd states in the Union!)

I don't exactly know why, and I don't want to check my University of Choice for the reason, but I do know that Tea is known traditionally for its health benefits. I know tundra tea is known for its calming effects it has on ones stomach and nerves.



It should come as no surprise then, when Tupperware came out with a glass teapot and Blooming Teas, I'd purchase TWO sets....as well as all the other teas, Madagascar Spice, Lemongrass and Green Tea.

I think I had HEARD about the blooming teas, but I had never actually seen them in action before. Prior to this, we simply boiled water, and poured it into a cup with whatever tea of choice we had.

So, my daughter and I dropped one of the Sweet Jasmine pods (Lily and Jasmine Flower blossoms on top a bed of Green Tea leaves) into the pot and poured boiling water on it. Let me tell you, it was like watching the bloom of a rare exotic flower in the water...and OH, the SMELL. Wow.

It'll be the best, most calming five minutes of your life! If you can stand all the questions, "why is it doing that?" "Did you see that flower?" "Can we try it yet?!"

It was well worth the wait...and the questions!

5, 6, 7, 8, 9!

After a long week last week wasting all that water, I did what any other sane person would do...let my daughter have a sleep over with a bunch of sugar amped kids who had just "decorated" cookies and Oreo Pops.



Seriously, that calms me. We had four girls and one boy sleep over, and their ages were, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9! We did not notice until I took some photos of the kids decorating Valentine's Day cookies and making Oreo Truffle Pops into kitty cats.



By the way, those Oreo pops, holy cow, they are SO DELICIOUS...and SO EASY to make. Its like a little truffle, on a stick! Easy, convenient way to pop a dessert in your mouth. (Luckily, I put lolipop sticks in them, because my husband would have eaten all of them!)



The kids had lots of fun, and I ran them through the steps to make their own Kitty Oreo Truffles -on-a-stick!


(these girls are...from Kaisa on the Right, age: 6, 7, 8, and 9!)

"OREO POPS?" You ask... Why, Yes, OREO POPS. I mean, the easiest, best dessert you'll make in under ten minutes! Seriously, people will marvel at your awesomeness in slaving all day for those little pops. Just think about it, you could totally sleep and slack all day, then make some Pops, go to a party, and be "the one who made those adorable, delicious Oreo Pops!"



"It must have taken her ALL DAY..." they'll say. But, only you (and everyone else who reads this, or Bakerella's blog) will know the truth! (Google it...I know you want to! or just visit www.bakerella.com!)


Clara's Oreo Pop

And me. I'll know the truth! Don't come to my party with Cake Pops...or Oreo Pops...or Nutter Butter Pops... (Oh, yes, the list GOES ON!) Cause I'll know, yes, I'LL KNOW! (but I'll still eat them up like there's no tomorrow!)


Lexi's

Super easy to make, and super cute to boot. Start with one package Oreo cookies. Open the box, remove seven cookies. Not six, not eight...but SEVEN. Eat them, feed them to your dog, do whatever you want with them, just don't put them back in the box!


Kaisa's

Take the REST of the cookies and place them in a food processor. Process the heck out of them. Beat them to oblivion! Process until they're mini crumbles!


Gage's (he was the "5" for the group!)

Then take ONE block fo cream cheese. At room temperature works best. And beat that cream cheese with a wooden spoon into the crushed oreo's. The smell will make your mouth water!


Oh...that's Emily's Oreo Pop!

Its OK, just use your hands, I do! Then, once a dough is formed, roll into little balls, or "truffles" and place on a parchment lined baking pan. I throw mine outside for about ten minutes, but if you don't live in the arctic and your entry isn't 35 degrees, plop them in the refrigerator for a bit to harden up.



Now, melt some white chocolate chips. Yeah, WHITE chocolate. Melt them up and stir like crazy. Take your oreo "balls" and either 1. drown them in the white chocolate, and place on a rack to drip, or 2. stick a lolipop stick into them and THEN drown them in the melted goodness. Flip them upside down, and marvel at your cool Oreo Truffle...on a stick!


Mine!

Throw em outside again (or in the fridge) for a bit to harden and decorate to your hearts desire. Try not to allow your husband to get a hold of them prior to decorating them. I mean, seriously, put a fence up or something. Cause he will try, oh yes, he WILL! You all have kitchen knives...use them to protect all that HARD WORK YOU JUST DID!!!



Believe me, he'll love you more when he's eating a cute kitty cat decorated by a 5 year old, then he would just haphazardly popping them into his mouth! He will.



There you have it. The WORLD'S hardest dessert to make. :) Enjoy. I did!

Other hobbies...

When I worked for a certain company, we didn't have much to do. So, I ended up dabbling in Photoshop, InDesign, and other photo and publication type programs. For someone with no training, I think I do pretty good!

I love making birthday invitations, Christmas cards, baby shower invites, baby announcements, and more. Its another super simple way for me to relax while making kids happy. (And their parents. Heck, and ME!)

I LOVE birthday parties. I love planning them, and decorating for them, and playing games with the kids. They are SO FUN!

Here are a few from the past year or so...





Since we don't have a Build-a-Bear workshop, Kaisa and I flew down to Anchorage (600 miles) went to the B-A-B workshop and told them we wanted them to fill the arms, legs, heads and partially fill the bodies, then put a bunch of fluff into a garbage bag, and fill the other bag full of hearts, noises, and bows. For less than $200, we got an entire birthday party in a box (or two) Including party favors, stickers, coloring books, etc! (Not including the plane tickets, but those were almost free!) THEN, being the thrifty person I am, I totally listened to my sister and went to Wal-Mart, bought 20 preemie outfits on sale for $3 each and those ended up being the outfits the girls played games to WIN! It was a success!



Max and Maddisen come to Kotzebue right after their birthday in May, so we always have a HUGE birthday party with like 30 kids running around, playing games, eating food, winning prizes and welcoming them back to Kotzebue! This year, we're separating the invites and having separate parties! Girls Night, and Boy's whatever-they-do!!!



Clara, Kaisa and Maddisen always have a "Girl's Night Out" in mid July, so I let them make their own invites.



My best Niece's birthday is in August. Perfect for wildflowers and fairies! We made our own fairy crowns and fairy houses, with flowers, sticks, feathers and bark!



This is my buddy Nabridus. He loves Batman and Superman. And Iron man, and the Hulk. This birthday, we settled on Superman AND Batman!



Braden loves Super Mario Bro's. So do my kids...and Uyaana. Braden loved that he was made INTO MARIO! We thought that was cute! P.S. He is so cute I could just eat him up!



GI Joe, aka Cadell had his ninth birthday a few weeks ago. He stopped me IN ANCHORAGE, 600 miles away to hug me and say, "THANK YOU for making my AWESOME birthday invitations!!!" It was so cute. By the way, he's Braden's brother.



And lastly, this is Dean's best friend Rishon. His birthday was ACTUALLY on Christmas, but it wasn't fair to get, Happy Birthday/Merry Christmas presents to a three year old, so his aana had it in January! He went to Disneyland a few months ago, and can't stop talking about Mickey Mouse! Him and Dean like to watch TV together!!!

Well...there you have it. Kids birthday invitations! Another fun hobby to do in the Arctic when its too cold to ski out!

A perfect hobby...

One of my many hobbies is sewing. I love skin sewing, and machine sewing...and someday I'll love machine skin sewing too! (When my AWESOME, LOVING, PERFECT HUSBAND gets me a skin sewing machine!!!)

But this post isn't about the seven rubbermade totes that house my fabric, or the two totes of skins and leather, or the five baskets of sewing supplies...NO SIREE! It's about what YOU should pack in your sewing tin! You, too, could love sewing, with a simple tin, kept in the same place, just like me!

First, you should probably find a good canvas bag. I WAS using a gap snowflake bag, but somehow my yarn ended up in there, and now, I'm using THIS: (!) A great bag to house everything.



In that bag, are my few sewing projects. When I get tired of sewing one thing, I move on to the next. Its like a workout routine. Sometimes you just get bored sewing gloves constantly...so you move onto mukluks!

I have several projects that are housed in a perfect little case. Not too expensive and readily found in any grocery store. Gallon sized Ziplock bags. :) They're perfect.



Right now, I'm working on Dean's sealskin gloves with muskrat lining...





(See honey, they would have been done LONG ago if I had that sewing machine!!!... :) )

Gramma's Christmas Present that I found out was NOT done, contrary to my hard belief that it WAS. (sorry Gramma, but you don't need these in Phoenix, Oh...and sorry for telling you what they were too. :( )





Kaisa's mukluks. Except I don't like the bottom, so I'm going to RIP the entire bottom off the other one that's done, and find some Caribou skin to use instead of the mouton and leather. Holds up better I think.



And the Kuppaqs for Kaisa's mukluks. This is the decorative trim on top the mukluks. Hers is a black and white calfskin heart pattern. (Ahlu is her Inupiaq name)...





THEN you need a nice medium sized tin. It can be from anything. Like mine, "Uncle Willy's Caribbean Rum Cake" works perfect for me.



INSIDE that tin, you want the following:

A good skin cutting Ulu...and Knife. (if you're lucky enough to have a husband like mine, who makes them!)



Small scissors, both kids scissors and embroidery scissors work well.



Alligator Clips. I use these to hold all kinds of things, from the project to a measuring tape. They work well to hold two pieces of skin together while you're trying to sew them.



Thimbles. I have two. One leather one that I LOVE (thanks Roxy!) that goes on my middle finger...and one uugruk skin one that I use on my pointer finger, when needed.





Sinew. This stuff is synthetic, but doesn't stretch, and is three strands thick. Some people like to use Dental floss, but that has a tendency to stretch, so I don't use it.



You have to cut your length and separate the three strands. Use them one at a time.



And...LOTS AND LOTS of skin sewing needles. I tend to use one for a bit, and then change, when it bends. I probably use them only two to three times before getting rid of them. I also use different sizes between 6 and 9.


(Yes, that is my ivory wedding ring in there...and a bunch of random ivory and fur pieces!)

Skin Sewing needles have a razor type edge at the tip that helps it glide through the skin easily.



And that's about it. My stuff is packed away nicely in my rum cake tin and its ALWAYS there when I need to relax and SEW! Like today, when I got a $1,200 bill for yesterday's water fiasco, and found out it'll cost between $8 and $10 thousand to fix the problem left to us by the previous owners. Yay... Needless to say, I'll be sewing a bunch within the next few days to relax!



OK, now go out and get yourself a sewing kit!


P.S. This is what Kaisa and Dean look like when I'm sewing! haha... A perfect chair!