Better than Starbucks!

Especially when the closest Starbucks is, oh, 700 miles away. 700 air miles. Otherwise known as $720 in a round trip ticket. And as much as I love coffee, I'm not that rich, so we have to improvise.

I'll also be honest. I never ever EVER go to Starbucks unless they're serving the Pumpkin Spice Latte. (Shutup and get on the train, OK!?) Any other time I'm a Terra Bella girl. One hundred MILLION percent. Terra Bella. (Drive through off Benson and Little shop on Dimond in Anchorage!) Seriously, Terra Bella coffee will change your life.

It'll at least make you warm. :)

ANY-WHO, as we don't have a really great coffee shop here, and Mae is gone to visit family in my Coffee time of need, I figured I'd better make use of that Espresso Machine and just make my own.

Sigh.

Here's how I make my Pumpkin Spice Latte:

1. Place a spoonful of Pumpkin Puree in a cup. (We keep ours in a tupperware container in the fridge) (We also use disposable cups because this was for my son before school.)

2. Brew some good espresso.

3. Pour Espresso onto Pumpkin. Mix well.

4. Steam yourself some milk.

5. Pour milk into espresso/pumpkin mixture.

6. Pour 1-2 TBS Pumpkin Spice Syrup into your cup. (I make my own, stay tuned later this week when I show you how. Or you can buy it from Amazon too I just found out!)

7. Add Whipped Cream and a sprinkling of Pumpkin Pie Spice.

8. Give to your sleep deprived teenager so he can make it to school on time.

Step 9? OK, Step 9. Serve with Pumpkin Bread. (Maybe I'll share this recipe too. )

Enjoy.

1 minute of fame...

Sometime this afternoon I started getting texts and facebook messages about hearing me on ABC World News Tonight.

Huh!?

Oh yeah, yesterday a local news station called and interviewed me for a while about the storm of the century. I talked mostly about how we have been living through storms for thousands of years. My grandparents lived through them in sod houses, I remember hanging out in a canvas tent with a wooden frame one time at camp during a storm. As long as everyone stayed safe and prepared, we would all be OK.

Watch HERE .

I did mention we had a plane that had to be tied down, and our car was parked in front of it...

This was taken during the "eye" of the storm. Looking great so far!

And our plane did survive. But other people's planes weren't so lucky.

But the best part of the ENTIRE interview (I thought) was when I told the interviewer what my husbands facebook status said, "Dear God go ahead and take the House but PLEASE leave the plane alone!" HAhahahahahAHHAhah. Man, they didn't play that part!

Oh well. The good thing about being on National Nightly News for only a small part is that I still have 14 minutes of fame left in my life! Next time I hope they share humor with me!

UPDATE

Well, apparently I need to get more than one Dr. Pepper!

A statement released from NOAA today...

...SEVERE BERING SEA STORM EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...

 A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING STORM LOCATED ABOUT 600 MILES SOUTHWEST
 OF SHEMYA THIS AFTERNOON WILL INTENSIFY INTO ONE OF THE
 MOST SEVERE BERING SEA STORMS ON RECORD AS IT MOVES NORTHWARD
 ACROSS THE CHUKOTSK PENINSULA TUESDAY NIGHT. THIS STORM
 HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE WIDESPREAD DAMAGE.

 THE STORM WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD WINDS OF 40 TO 55 MPH
 WITH HIGHER GUSTS OVER THE WEST COAST TUESDAY NIGHT INTO
 WEDNESDAY EVENING. STRONG WEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
 OVER ST LAWRENCE ISLAND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. GUSTS TO 70 MPH CAN BE
 EXPECTED ALONG THE CHUKOTSK PENINSULA AND IN AREAS NEAR KOTZEBUE.
 WINDS OF 60 TO 75 MPH ARE EXPECTED OVER ST LAWRENCE ISLAND AND
 THE BERING STRAIT COAST. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO APPROACH HURRICANE
 FORCE OVER THE CHUKCHI SEA AND NORTHERN BERING SEA. THE STRONG
 WINDS WILL GENERATE SEAS TO AS HIGH AS 20 FEET OVER THE CHUKCHI
 SEA...AND TO 15 TO 25 FEET OVER THE NORTHERN BERING SEA.

 THE STRONG WINDS WILL PUSH LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER INTO NORTON
 SOUND...RAISING SEA LEVELS TO AS HIGH AS 8 TO 9 FEET ABOVE NORMAL
 TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE HIGH SEA LEVELS
 COMBINED WITH HIGH WAVES WILL PRODUCE SEVERE BEACH EROSION AND
 MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING ALONG THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN SHORES OF
 NORTON SOUND AND ALONG THE BERING STRAIT COAST. HIGH WATER
 LEVELS WILL PRODUCE COASTAL FLOODING ALONG THE SOUTHERN
 SHORE OF NORTON SOUND. STRONG WINDS AND WAVE ACTION MAY PUSH
 ICE IN NORTON BAY ON SHORE.

 MODERATELY ELEVATED SEA LEVELS AND HIGH WAVES WILL CAUSE
 SEVERE BEACH EROSION AND MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING ALONG THE
 SOUTH AND WEST FACING COASTS OF ST LAWRENCE ISLAND TUESDAY
 THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

 ALONG THE CHUKCHI SEA COAST FROM CAPE KRUSENSTERN NORTHWEST...
 SOUTHEAST WINDS GUSTING TO A HIGH AS 70 MPH WILL PRODUCE HIGH
 WAVES AND SOME ELEVATION OF SEA LEVELS...RESULTING IN SEVERE
 BEACH EROSION AND MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING. THE VILLAGE OF
 KIVALINA WILL BE HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO DAMAGE CAUSED BY
 BEACH EROSION AND COASTAL FLOODING.

 THE STORM WILL ALSO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL AND BLIZZARD
 CONDITIONS OVER ALMOST ALL OF THE WEST COAST TUESDAY NIGHT
 AND WEDNESDAY. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF AS MUCH AS 14 INCHES
 ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE SOUTHERN SEWARD PENINSULA COAST AND
 IN PARTS OF THE INTERIOR SEWARD PENINSULA.

 AGAIN...THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING
 STORM WHICH WILL BE ONE OF THE WORST ON RECORD OVER THE BERING
 SEA AND THE WEST COAST.

Read more HERE.

Life Threatening??!?! I think it's time for a vacation. For real.

I went to the grocery store today at 5:00 p.m. to get a few "things" (Like Dr. Pepper!) and it was as if the entire town had congregated there. Hushed visits of the impending storm caused a stir throughout the entire store. People were picking up staples, like eggs, milk, potatoes and onions. I, too, had to pick up a few things. We have plenty of deer, caribou, chicken, and lots and lots of fish to eat. So I got enough food to subsidize those items in our freezers.

We are also filling our tubs and totes with fresh water (though there will be lots of snow outside!), and digging out the propane heaters, propane stoves, etc.

We are also praying that everyone stays safe, and all of our houses stay intact.

Storm Season!

I'm gong to the store tonight. I gotta get me a Dr. Pepper. Cause when it's stormy, I always ALWAYS seem to crave a dang Dr. Pepper!

According to the weather predictors we are in line to have a winter storm that has hurricane Force Winds, in addition to a Blizzard Warning. A 942 mb low is planning to hit the Bering Sea town of Nome has 65 knot winds and 15 foot seas. They're expecting power outages and will "probably" have to cancel school. We will get hit with the storm too, but we are a bit further north compared to Nome. Our storm warning runs from Tuesday through Thursday (maybe we won't go to work either eh!?) A 942 mb central pressure is the same as a Category 3 hurricane. This is all in addition to a temperature in the low 20's and 4-8 inches of snow and fog!

Dang. Everyone is comparing this to the "Storm of 1974", but the difference was that they had a bunch more ice coverage which basically means more shore protection. We have 60% less ice than in 1974, so it'll be interesting to see what it does this year. Anyway, I'm going to the store getting me some Dr. Pepper, maybe another gallon of milk and some pasta. Since our freezers are full of caribou, deer, shrimp and all that good stuff.

See you on the flip side!

Life is Tough

I remember being a kid and I would always say, "That's not fair..." My dad would tell me, "Life is tough."

I hated him for that. I mean, I really really hated when he said that. But now that I'm 34 years old, I know he was right. Life is tough.

I spent a good part of my twenties feeling sorry for myself and blaming everyone else for my problems. I left home at age 18, literally, the morning of my 18th birthday at 6:00 am, I left home and flew 5,328 miles on a one way ticket from Kotzebue to Orlando not exactly knowing what I was going to do, but knowing that MY LIFE wasn't gonna be "tough."

I got married, had a baby, didn't call my parents until I had my child. My mom hung up on me. Whatever, if she wanted to be a witch, then I didn't care.

Until I realized that I needed my mom. Because I was a new young mom. But it still wasn't my fault. Cause Life wasn't tough. For me.

Eventually I came back home. Not because I really wanted to, but because I had to. I was almost forced to go back home. So I spent a lot of time blaming everyone else that I had to come back to this God-Forsaken town above the Arctic Circle without even, GASP! a movie theater. Sucky. I lived in low income housing, and worked two jobs, eventually realizing I had to go back to school. So aside from being a divorced, single mother, who worked full time, I also took on 18 college credits at the local Community College.

And when I was burnt out, it was everyone else's fault but mine. Now, I have to add that I had a difficult childhood. I was torn between things. Right vs Wrong. Good vs Evil. Sure, I went to church on Christmas and Easter. I did my part and memorized my lines for the Christmas Program so the other C&E Christians could Ooohh, and Awe and my awesome acting skills as the Little Drummer Boy, Mary mother of Jesus, Ruth...

Other than that, we went to church to attend funerals. And that was it. I seriously did not think there could be a "God" because how could this so-called-God allow such horrible things to happen to me? But life wasn't tough. Not for me. It just was someone else's fault. Not mine.

When I was 26 I had my second child. A little girl. And three months after she was born, her dad left me for another person. Not that I blame him, per say...I mean when you're mad at the world, it's hard to live with someone else and not blame them for your problems. So, I did what I always did. Blamed the world. Blamed God. Blamed my parents. Blamed my friends. Blamed everyone but me.

When Kaisa was just a month old, her God parents came over and said to me quite frankly, "We are taking OUR GOD-DAUGHTER to church. Feel free to come with us. Or not." And they took my infant, breast-fed only, baby with them to church and left me to wallow in my sorrows at home. (They took my son too) They never pressured me to go to church with them, cause I was quick to argue that God couldn't exist, and I was proof of that. If there was a God, I wouldn't have had such a "hard life."

Eventually, Kaisa's Godmother called and said she was hungry, so I needed to come to church. Hemming and hawing, eventually I made my way over there to feed my starving baby. It was Mother's Day in 2003. After a moments of trying my hardest not to listen to the sermon, I opened up and heard the Word of God. And I cried. And cried. And cried some more.

Unsure of exactly what I was feeling, I went back. And went back again. It was like every single sermon that Pastor Phil was preaching was meant for me and only me. Give it to God. Trust in his Word. Pray. Pray. Pray. God doesn't give you anything you can't handle. Obviously, that was true because, 1. I was still alive. and 2. I was STILL ALIVE!

After several months of crying every Sunday, it was like the clouds lifted and I could see. I always knew I was "pretty good" at things. Sewing, Baking, Teaching, Crafting, Building, etc. And I just didn't know what to do with that. When I started living the word, and giving it to God, for real...it all made sense. Help people. Teach people. Spread the word in actions not words.

Everything I've gone though, though some very difficult to talk about. "Things" that included several visits to the witness stand to face people who did horrible things to me, and my family members, "things" that included police visits, several hospital visits, broken bones, broken spirits were all NOT in vain. Now, I can walk down the street, I understand what it's like to be in that position. I see women and children scared and I know what's going on. So, I walk up to them, I say, "Hi!" with my most smily face. And I talk to them about their day, their week, ask their kids about school. And tell them I am glad they are alive. Glad they are here to share this world with us!

If it wasn't for my daughter's God Parents, David and Tina Matthews, and the fact that God still loved me after all the toxic worlds I spoke of Him, I would still be a miserable bitter person, blaming everyone else for my life. I wouldn't be able to give my whole heart and 100% trust to my husband. I would still be a difficult, bitter person, and not such a good mother.

Life is tough. Really tough. But no matter what, there are three constant things that I try to remember.

1. God loves me. Even though I am a sinner. Even though sometimes I don't love myself.

2. You always have a choice. Always. You can choose to be ugly. You can choose to be happy.

3. Someone, probably somewhere close to you, has already faced what you're facing. And they are there to talk to you if you want.

You will always get knocked down. Always. There will always be difficult times in all of our lives. Since it's Sunday, and we are watching Football. It's not whether you'll get knocked down, it's whether you get back up...

I try and try to remember that I need to trust in the Lord for the plan He has for me and my family. Even if we don't understand it right away, He still has a plan. The toughest thing in my life right now is trusting that everything will be OK. I love the Lord. But even though I love the Lord, I still struggle with this every day. As a matter of fact, recently my husband was laid off, and we are still struggling to see what is in store for us. We are trusting in the Lord and hoping for the best. Because that's all we can do...

Remember...Life is Tough. It's what you choose to do with it that makes you the person everyone sees. Be a quarterback. Get back up. Smile. Help someone. God Bless you.

Red Riding Hood

My 8 year old wanted so badly to be Medusa this year. So I obliged. Purchasing some nasty green crushed velvet at a thrift store in Anchorage, in addition to the several snakes we would weave through her hair.

The costume came along very well in my head. She was excited to wear sponge curlers on Sunday night, and get up early Monday morning for school so we could expertly weave those plastic snakes through her curls.

I had to throw this in with the post. She was THE CUTEST PIGLET EVER!

Seriously...look at those hands...ready to cause a ruckus! (My niece Rea)

Little did she know though, that every little girl in our family has to be Little Red Riding Hood. I was LRRH, Saima was LRRH (my mom was the Grandmother, and we had a 6 foot Wile E. Coyote that stood in as the Wolf), Elsa was LRRH, and I think Clara was LRRH too.

My mom meticulously sewed each of us a costume each year. From Clowns, to Princesses, to Indians, to California Raisins (I was SO COOL!). Our Little Red Riding Hood dress was one from our Grandma, and the Hooded Cape (as I remember calling it) was made out of Red Corduroy. My mom didn't use patterns either, she just made whatever she could out of whatever scraps we had!

I desperately wanted her to continue the tradition and was happy she agreed. So, since we had a School Carnival on Friday, she thought she could just be LRRH for the carnival and be Medusa at school.

I sketched a simple dress I wanted to sew up. White button up shirt with a Peter Pan collar, Full skirt, tulle to give it volume, and a front chest overall section with Finnish inspired details, white pleated apron to go in front and of course a hooded red cloak.

Friday at lunchtime, I made the skirt and apron. (We had the shirt leftover from when Koy was a little boy, so I just cut the sleeves off, and curved the collar) Friday after work I made the Red Velvet Hooded Cloak.

She used the exact same basket we all used as children, and put her hair in braids.

Thankfully she loved the outfit so much that she decided that maybe Little Red Riding Hood was the way to go at school too.

I'm glad our traditions run deep. Now if I could just get one of my kids to wear my California Raisin Costume I made in middle school.... :)

Giggles (etc.)

Oh...are you looking for the Baboon story!?

Too bad. Cause apparently, "I must not know how it feels to get beaten up..."

So, it's saved for ONLY SUPER SPECIAL people, on a blocked site. Those who appreciate HUMOR when they read it. And who don't go all ape-shit crazy emailing me about how "Inappropriate a Post like that is." (Yeah, I threw that Ape in there again!) Tell you what...why don't you call my Mouse Lawyer, cause I'm still being tried in that court too!

AND Really!? That's what you got from the blog!? hahahaha ahha... Sigh... It was about a monkey. Or, sorry, Pre-Pre-Pre-Pre Human, if you want to be "politically correct!" (Since I apparently am NOT!)

And yes, you DID entertain me. What with all the Leaves and Baboon Sex going on. Thanks for that. I appreciate it.

Oh, and the shopping too. Yeah, that's awesome as well. But not as awesome as the Zoo.