Oh My Sugar Pie

Hot Springs Weekend

2009-02-10T12:50:00.000-08:00

Back in January some of our "Alaskan Family" decided to visit to continue celebrating my BIG 40th birthday, yes I pretty much enjoyed presents, phone calls, and well wishes ALL month long....so maybe getting older really isn't THAT bad.

The Hums decided to take me to Chena Hot Springs for an overnight stay for JUST THE ADULTS!!! David managed to get a babysitter for the kiddos, so off we headed, with a stop in town to check out The Stash a store I knew they would appreciate 'cause everything is handmade. We decided to make another stop for some yummy Thai food at Pad Thai. When we got to Chena we decided to play like "tourists" & visit the Aurora Ice Museum to have an "appletini" in an ice glass while checking out all of the ice sculptures. My favorite was the knights on horseback!

You can even rent the place out for weddings, or spend your honeymoon evening on one of their ice beds....not sure if those would be a very "comfortable" way to consummate a marriage, but I am sure it's more about the adventure!

(Preach on brother Dave)

(How did they do that??)

(Looking to the left you can see the bar & stools)

Tubing at Fort Wainwright on Birch Hill

2009-02-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

We were all pretty excited to show our friend Pippin the tubing hill. It is great fun for the whole family. If you get to Fairbanks you should really try it out!

(Jake, Pippin, & Ben enjoy a ride together)

(Ben spinning down lane #1)

(David at the end of a good run.
He hit the yellow poll a few weeks ago
and almost went over the top!)

One a day for 7 days....Yukon Quest!!

2009-02-08T23:50:00.000-08:00

Why have I been an absent blogger you ask? Well there are a variety of answers. I was sad for a while, not really sure why, maybe a seasonal thing 'cause of the long dark winters, a food deficiency, a female thing or a I'm not really taking care of myself issue, a shortness of proper rest....maybe I was just due for some sadness, because most of the time I'm a happy-go-lucky person. Even in the midst of my " blue period" I was incredibly busy....so whatever the issue, it seems to have passed and I have SO much to blog about. My goal is to make a post everyday for a week! Seems like the right think to do in order to catch everyone up on the VERY EXCITING events that have occurred in the past....month....has it really been THAT long...yes, just two days shy.

Today we watched our friend Charlie Allison win the Jr. Yukon Quest!!! CONGRATULATIONS CHARLIE!!!(Charlie headed for the finish line)

(Race officials make sure he's carrying the proper supplies)

(Charlie stops for a picture with mom)

A Lemonade Award for my blog...Oh My!!!

2009-01-10T18:54:00.000-08:00

My blog was nominated for the Lemonade Award by Tiffany over at The Holt Clan. The award is for blogs that have attitude & gratitude, I don't know if my writing has either, but I have been working on turning lemons (my previous posts) into lemonade (my more recent posts) the best way I know how, by diligently posting as much as possible. I am just happy to have people reading & leaving comments, 'cause that encourages me to blog more!

All of these blogs make me ponder life, cry, laugh out loud, appreciate others crafty abilities, & question what is happening in our world. I think each blog has it's own unique FLAVOR & ZEST which QUENCHS my THIRST while blogstocking!

1. Afternoon Moon
2. A Handmade Life
3. Global Homestead
4. A Friend to Knit With
5. My Fairbanks Life
6. Suburban Bliss
7. Honeyflake
8. Kigluait Educational Adventures (links to their blog)
9. Knitting Box
10. My Art is My Outlet

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show GREAT ATTITUDE and/or GRATITUDE!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Wordless Birthday Wednesday

2009-01-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

We celebrated the BIG 40 for me last night, just the family(I was even honored with getting to pick the game..Labyrinth), some yummy Thai food, a delicious fruit tart, and some pretty nice gifts for mama. Including an iphone...yes I guess we are finally breaking down to join the cell phone revolution.

Favorite Things

2009-01-02T22:21:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share 10 things I am loving right now:

1. Our wood stove (since it's still 40 below or colder with HEAVY ice fog)

2. The rocking chair

3. Pear Butter on my whole wheat english muffin in the AM

4. Sleeping late (well, I was over the break)

5. Artful Blogging magazine

6. These knitting rubber stamps

7. This cashmere sweater from
Garnet Hill (I am thinking I deserve it)

8. These blooms on my Christmas Cactus

9. This VERY racy, but just in time for Valentine's Day book,
The Erotic Treasury

10. The fact that although my kids got
many wonderful & exciting toys for Christmas,
their favorite items to play with over
the break have been three large swatches
of animal print material.

A New Year

2009-01-02T00:46:00.000-08:00

It's official, I can now wish you a happy 2009....I realize that I'm a day late but the toilet wasn't clean. Yesterday, I was busy casting on my Monkey Socks and cursing our fearless Knit-A-Long leader Monica, 'cause I kept dropping stitches and having to frog the whole thing to begin again, not that it was her fault, but you gotta have someone to blame!! I know what you're thinking: what is she talking about....what does having a clean toilet and wishing people a Happy New Year have anything to do with each other. She is L-o-s-i-n-g her mind. She's actually blogging about the john?

Yes, yes, I have plenty of other things I COULD write about like David deciding that now at 40 below it's a good time to tear out the border in my washroom and make a mess everywhere, or the fact that the kids, all on their own, made a Natural History Museum/Zoo/Circus today complete with a bird cage, reptile exhibit, & juggling show. I could also post cool pictures of the frost growing around the edges of the doors and covering the windows with great patterns, but no today you get toilet talk.

I don't know about you, but I usually like to ring in the new year with a little cleaning. Just organize things a bit, tidy up the clutter in the hopes that the following year will be orderly. So I began with a box of blankets that needed to be added to the linen shelf, toys that needed to be donated, and the toilets needed a good scrub. Now it is BEYOND me how so much funk can build up around a toilet. I have three boys, yes I am counting my husband because although he has had 30+ years at aiming into a roughly 12" oval there are times when I am sure he misses, he's just old enough to know that he must WIPE THE RIM. This must be something that comes with age, like appreciating a good glass of wine, 'cause no matter how much I rant about pee on the toilet my other two boys just haven't gotten it yet. I mean how hard can it be to make it down the hole... it's BIG, bend at the knees to get closer if you need to, hell sit down on the damn thing, but GET ALL THE PEE IN THERE. I mean I don't even care if you flush! I feel the worst for my daughter Zoe who shares a bathroom with her two brothers. Poor girl, there will be years of yelling about everything related to the bathroom when they become teenagers, but for now the issue is pee everywhere put IN the toilet. As I was cleaning I was thinking, what in the world are they thinking about when they pee that causes them not to be able to concentrate long enough to shoot a straight stream for what..... 20 seconds....40 at the max. I mean for heavens sake they can listen to me reading for hours, play games(recent RISK games have lasted 7 hours) or watch a video, but NOT long enough to relieve themselves? Are they so excited about their play & they are trying to hurry? Are they daydreaming? There isn't even a picture above the toilet that they could gaze at and oops I missed.... NOTING, nota, just peeing.....I just don't get it. I have even resorted to making THEM clean the bathroom & it doesn't work. So please tell me, promise me they'll grow out of it...... preferably before they learn to enjoy wine....& I would be OH SO HAPPY if it happened THIS YEAR!!! Just tell me.... even if you have to lie, that 2009 will be the year that the PEE gets IN THE TOILET!

Ok, so now I can wish you a Happy New Year, 'cause my universe....the toilet, is shiny clean....for now anyway.

Holiday Fun

2008-12-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

Our family has been enjoying playing on our VERY steep and long driveway every day during our short 4 1/2 hours of daylight. I have been walking the hill to get some exercise and enjoying the snow covered trees, & stumps. Today we experienced typical Fairbanks winter temperatures of 32 below, so we bundled up with an extra layer to keep warm. Yep, that's right we still got outside...you know Alaskans are just tough...at least that's what I like to tell myself. Ben ended up coming in with some very red, cold hands, but was able to warm up by the wood stove quickly. David stayed out the longest chopping a tree down and dragging it up to the house with the snowmachine. Here are some pictures from our adventures:

Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night.....

2008-12-24T23:59:00.000-08:00

Last night Zoe woke David & I up by crawling in our bed saying, "My tummy hurts". Of course our first response, just like every parents' was "Do you feel like you need to throw up?" "No she said snuggling between us....about 10 minutes later she sat up & promptly threw up all over the bed luckily David heard the gurgle coming and sprung out of bed before the chunks landed....I haven't see him move that fast in a while. Anyway, our day was spent relaxing with a late morning, bagels and games, lots of cuddle time for Zoe, the boys all headed outside to play in the VERY large snow piles while Zoe helped me clean up my junky, clothes strewn room...guess that is what happens when you work in retail before Christmas.... David took his $50 snowmachine out for a drive, yes, you read that right....he picked it up at a garage sale this summer. It's a Polaris Trail Touring and it runs like a top, now he's got the fever again, but at least it's not CABIN FEVER:) I thought I would leave you with some of my favorite Christmas items since I've been a little behind on posting them....

This table is located as you come in the house on the right is an Eskimo Santa my mom sent me one year, and on the left are some fluffy snowmen and David's Granny Moore passed on to us

Musk-ox & her baby from Rich Hum

The last year I taught in Teller, Cora, the bi-cultural teacher & I
helped the students sew these keepsake pillows.
The best part was visiting all of the homes to take the pictures!

Alaskan seal skin Ornament also called a crispin
by the ladies from Brevig, Alaska

My Favorite seal skin ornament from Shishmaref

Avdent Calendar, handmade by Nana Nana Hum

Christmas tree pen made by Brenda Pushruk

Zoe's favorite Christmas item, also purchased by my mom.
In fact every Christmas she would purchase a Little People set...
we have most of them including the "antique" styles
from when I was a little girl, but they stay at Papa's for when we visit!

Wordless Wednesday....early

2008-12-16T23:14:00.001-08:00

Looking out over the Tanana River

Alaska Range in the background

Photo by Jake

Friday Fill-In

2008-12-12T02:29:00.000-08:00

1. Friends make me laugh & help me through the tough times.

2. I am grateful for my families' health; it's something we shouldn't take for granted.

3. I'm ready for SPRING, but I would settle for ABOVE ZERO!

4. Patchouli(although I don't wear perfumes) is one of my favorite perfumes or aftershaves or smells.

5. The oldest ornament I have is a multicolored ball from David's Granny Moore, probably at least 20 years old.

6. Take some birch logs, a wood stove, a glass of wine, and a knitting project or good book mix it all together and you have the perfect afternoon.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to David's staff Christmas party & a babysitter (it's RARE) tomorrow my plans include working, a birthday party, and possibly snow tubing and Sunday, I want to sleep in, but I will be crafting 'cause I'm behind on that 6 weeks of crafts project I promised....ooops!

Call Your Mom

2008-12-10T18:07:00.000-08:00

The conversation I imagine would go like this:

Me: So what are you up to today?

Mom: Oh daddy and I just went shopping and I picked up the cutest outfit for Zoe. It has a matching coat with fur trim and it was already marked down a third! Do Ben and Jake need underwear and socks?

Me: Yes, they can always use socks and underwear. I'm sure Zoe will love the outfit. You know she's a clothes horse just like her Nana.

Mom: I was wondering what to take to eat for the Birthday Group Christmas Party. Are you going to any holiday parties?

Me: Oh my knitting group is having a get together at the Dredge and we're having a cookie swap too. I think I'll take a pasta salad. I tried that yummy sugar cookie recipe the one with the pumpkin dip that Tiff sent with the card swap and it was SO good. Do you have that one?

Mom: OOOOhh that sounds good. I don't have that one. Let me get a recipe card and you can give it to me. Maybe I'll take that to the party.

After taking down the recipe

Me: Mom how did you afford to send me to dance lessons and piano lessons? Did Brent and I drive you crazy with our constant arguing? What was I like when I was a little girl? Did I ask you to play with me all the time? Sometimes did you just want to run away and hide? When did you ever take time for yourself, I remember you being up at the crack a dawn. You already had a load of laundry done and breakfast on the table before 7:00 AM. Mom, thank you for giving me such a stable home life, where dinner was on the table every night and I always felt warm, safe and loved.

Mom: You do what you have to do. I did all of those things because I loved you. You and Brent mean the world to me. I just sent you to your room when I needed a break. I wasn't perfect and sometimes I yelled and got mad just like I am sure you do with your kids and then I regretted getting upset with you and I would feel terrible. You are a wonderful mother Stacy and your kids will grow up to be wonderful, caring adults, because they have loving, caring parents.

I wish I could call my mother, but I can't. She passed away almost three years ago and this time of year is always tough because I think about her even more....if that is possible, 'cause I already think about her every day. I don't have any regrets about things I did or didn't do or say. I was there when she passed away. I sat on her bed talked to her, slept in her room, helped her to the restroom, bathed her, and gave her her medication. There is an emptiness left by her passing that nothing can fill. Even my children's tight hugs and kisses can't cure it....so call your mother...just because you can....for no reason at all.....call your mom.

Thanksgiving....a little late

2008-12-07T03:02:00.000-08:00

What happened to my Thanksgiving post....it must have gotten lost on the way home from Valdez where I choose to knit instead of write(which successfully got me one of Zoe's leg warmers finished), or maybe it went down the toilet along with Jake's sickness on Tuesday of last week....needless to say this post is better late than never. I just had to blog about our wonderful Thanksgiving 'cause it was the best one the Foshee's have had in a long while!

As we made the drive down to Valdez to visit some of our "Alaskan Family" David & I discussed how we really hadn't established our own family Thanksgiving traditions. For the nine years we spent in Teller, we always joined the community Potluck dinner, which has a very interesting story of it's own...... I'll save for another time. Then in Koyuk we celebrated with just our family, which since we're social people...... it was a little lonely. Last year we enjoyed catching up with some frined in North Pole, but this year we decided that driving to Valdez to spend time with the Shidner's was a MUST on our TO DO LIST!! And we are SO grateful we did!!!!

Our journey began Wednesday after school was out, and of course we were running on "Eskimo Time" as folks in the village would say, not really getting in a hurry to get there. That's why Robert greeted us at 1:00 AM with "Finally, we wondered if you would EVER get here". You know the Shidner's HAVE TO BE like family 'cause who else would welcome guests into their home at that ridiculous hour!!! Lucky for us, our friends were still glad to see us even if they were yawning and rubbing their eyes. The road was a little hairy at Summit Lake and then again at Thompson Pass. Of course I was telling David to slow down when he was only going 40MPH...., but the kids stayed occupied with movies for most of the trip and I thought ahead and purchased a book LED light so that I could knit during the entire drive, while David and I listened to The Last Lecture on CD.

Thanksgiving was a causal affair for us, which was SO relaxing....we threw in the turkey, whipped up a couple of side dishes, Cynthia kneaded some of her Grandmother's rolls, we sucked down some coffee and headed for the hills to ski, snowboard, and sled at 37 degrees!!!!! It felt like a heat wave....since we had just come from -10!!! We were all shedding layers of outerwear while taking in the beautiful surroundings.

After some fun in the snow we headed back to have our meal "Happy Belly Commune" style (that is what Cynthia and I dubbed the shared apartments where we lived together in Teller, Ak for 4 years & it holds true for all of our gatherings). Everything was yummy and tasty..... but the company...... well it was nothing short of superb. In Alaska you aren't always able to gather together with your immediate family during the holidays, because most of them live so far away, so you create your own family with friends. After dinner we let things settle for a while and then headed over to the neighbors for dessert, tea, and great conversation.

Friday & Saturday brought more fun times: Talking during short walks with Cynthia on the well groomed trails, popping over to check out their local library, David & Andy tried to catch up with a friend, but missed him, so they enjoyed some cocktails instead, playing ping-pong at the rec center next of Cynthia's office,(felt like old times, we had a make-shift table set up in Teller in the basement of our apartment, but we always lost the balls in the pipe fittings), teaching Robert to knit an icord, checking out a new bakery, making music on the xylophone & keyboard, computer time, lots of board & card games, many laughs, shared memories, wine and great food.

The perfect rocking chair

2008-11-22T13:55:00.000-08:00

A classic gift when a baby is born, once mostly made from wood, probably by the expectant father or grandfather.....the perfect rocking chair is a significant piece of well....... not just furniture. It's a place to watch your child grow, from being propped in the crook of one arm to..... not only covering your lap but flowing over the side arm as well! It's a cuddly spot to enjoy your favorite book, alone or with company. Also the place you offer a visiting elder to rest and if it is strategically place near the window, or an Ott light, it's the best place to knit on cold winter days.
Yes, the perfect rocker is a cherished place to relax and I have waited many years to have such an heirloom piece of furniture in my home. This summer when my dad came to visit and realized that there was no rocker for him to sit in he promptly said, well we'll just have to go out and buy you one.....thanks dad:)
Oh and what about the fire you ask....well that is quite another story and of course I just can't resist telling you. This summer while we were visiting family in Oklahoma David and his Granny Barnes were discussing Alaskan winters and he happened to mention that he planned to put in a wood stove this year. Well after hearing that, nothing would do but for Granny to give him the money to purchase the stove, and I told him, " David if that is what she wants let her, I mean after all our society too often "tells" elders what they can and can't do, instead of letting them make their own choices, plus I know she will just love seeing how much we are enjoying her gift!

Granny shows the boys how to play a string & button game this past summer

Well again you have to remember that we weren't prepared for winter this year, not that we ever are. It's sad to say, but we've lived in AK for 12 years now, and I don't think you EVER get ready for winter! Secretly we hope that if we aren't ready, it won't come, however that never happens. David has been working hard for a while now in hopes that we would be able to enjoy a crackling fire to gather around on chilly winter nights. So first he scoured craigslist to see if he could get a good deal and was successful in finding a Vermont Casting Stove. He spent many hours figuring out what pipes were needed, making sure they all fit correctly(this took a couple of trips to the hardware store 'cause one of our pipe fittings was bent) he picked up a chimney brush and cleaned out the soot left behind by previous owners, purchased slate, grout, fire board, and wood and make his own hearth. The picture really doesn't do the grout justice, it's a redish/rust color which really sets off the gray marbled slate.

Finally after many weeks of anticipation, David decided to start a small fire, with a quick trip to the wood pile and a few crumpled news papers later ...... smoke began billowing out every crack and cranny on the stove, pipes, it fills the house and quickly David puts it out in frustration!!!!! He fretted that the stove was faulty and perhaps his great deal wasn't so great..... then he got his computer downloaded the entire owners manual and combed it over carefully, no mistakes, so why isn't the damn thing working!!! .....needless to say David was a wee bit frustrated and had some very interesting names for the stove *%&$#..... I suggested that he consult the experts at Woodway our local wood stove dealer. The guy told him to warm up the flue with a hair dryer and then light a fire......David thought, "Yea right, like that is ever going to work"....but he come home that very night warmed the flue, build a small fire and presto it worked and beautiful stove has been keeping us toasty warm ever since! Thank you Granny(and you too honey).

Craft Project Week 1: Glass Magnets

2008-11-18T20:08:00.000-08:00

Our crafting day did happen this weekend, I am just a wee bit behind on posting the results...imagine that. Let me just begin by saying that it is VERY IMPORTANT to make sure, especially if you live in a small town, that the craft stores carry all of the supplies that you need. But you probably already know that 'cause you plan ahead...... Needless to say I wanted to use the larger two inch glass half marbles, but the stores in my area only had a multicolored package which only contain about 6 clear marbles, so needless to say before we began the craft I was a little disappointed, but the kids didn't know any difference and they had a BLAST!

Danika, a friend from Oklahoma, had surprised me with a wonderful Yarn & Loops knitting bag and a variety of knitting related glass marbles (above) this summer when we went down to visit family. So I had been anticipating a time when I might be able to try making these magnets myself! We began by covering the table with newspaper and getting all of our supplies ready.

I had used a number of sources, while researching the best way to recreate this project with kids. There were many recommendations here and Not Martha ,but I opted for using Mod Podge like it suggests in the Micheal's Craft book, because I thought it would be the safest substance. Here's the list of supplies we used:

*Flat Paint brushes

*Mod Podge
*Small 1 inch half glass marbles
*Larger 1 1/2 to 2 inch half glass marbles
*Newspaper
*Paper Towels
*Pictures of the kids
*Used holiday/birthday Cards
*Kid scissors
*scrapbooking papers
*Altoid tins or other metal tins (found here or really fancy ones here)
*Window cleaner
*E6000 glue(I used this to glue the magnets in place)

Even the smallest hands can manage this craft, as long as an adult puts the magnets on with the E600 glue. Benjamin enjoyed using the flat brush to paint on mod podge.

We found that one of the best sources were the used cards I collected over the years. Of course I didn't use any of my beautifully scrapped cards, but I have a stash of notecards and greeting cards that I have been saving......just waiting for the perfect way to recycle them. They were the preferred choice for Jake because he discovered he could make magnet sets easily by cutting out the scenes. Isn't that snowman set ideal to adorn the fridge this winter! So I thought I would send this set to a special someone, along with some of the kids art work they created this fall at school!

You probably noticed that one of the snowmen has some extra paper around it. We discovered that it was much easier for little hands to put the mod podge on the back of the half marble and then stick it on the chosen picture....let it dry and then cut the excess off, 'cause sometimes it was hard to cut out a picture to the right size. All in all it was a very successful crafting day. Wouldn't you say?

6 Weeks to a Handmade Christmas

2008-11-12T14:17:00.000-08:00

Change, it seems to be the sentiment of the country right now....and in my life....well adding new things and constantly learning and growing are some of the things that I embrace hole heartily, for myself and my family. Yesterday I realized that in order to reach the lofty goal of hand making gifts for everyone on our Christmas list, I was going to have to streamline my schedule.

Where do we find time to do it all in this fast pace world?.... go green, eat local, buy organic, tend a garden, chop enough fire wood for the winter, find musical outlets for your children, work with real art mediums, make sure they are getting enough sleep, reading intriguing literature, having family dinner and chatting about our day, paying the mortgage, watching your budget, saving to send 3 to college, yikes.....then there is what life is all about...... sharing time with friends and family. After all isn't that why we do all we do....our quest to come home, spend time with family, relish the special moments with friends, have me time.

This bring us back to the planning, I realized that there were roughly 6 weeks until Christmas and although I usually work at B & N on Saturdays I have the afternoons off, that leaves time for the kids and I to make 6 different crafts. Plus they get out of school early on the last three days before their Christmas break....what a perfect time for baking all of the goodies we will share with teachers, staff, friends, and family! If you are looking for craft ideas check back every Sunday, 'cause I hope to be posting our projects......ssshhhh but not too much.... somethings we might just have to keep hush, hush, you can't ALL know what we're makin' ya!

Yesterday I had some time to check out a special knitting book and get a little knitting done. One of the books that I think I might pick up is Knitting for Peace. I have decided that even though I am going to make many gifts, I might also have fudge purchase a few books too! After all who can resist BOOKS....not this bookseller(D says I am only working for books....which is kinda true, but still worth it).

This hardback has such wonderfully creative ways to give back, which is something that I think is on our minds as the "giving" season approaches(with our Nation in a recession)...... that it made me cry. Maybe it was just because I was reading the section about two high school friends who became reacquainted because they were both cancer survivors and it's also the time of year when I miss my mom the most. The friends came up with an idea to start a yarn shop, devoting the proceeds to cancer research, victims and the like. This book is filled with delightful heartfelt stories and easy patterns along with the Knitting for Peace logos which can be transferred onto your work for that extra special touch.

After some tearful reading, I was actually able to finish up one of the projects that I have been working on Maine Morning Mitts from The Book of Yarn, another great book,.....I don't even want to tell you how long it's been on the needles and now I just have to make the other one! So I guess I better get to knitting!

More birthday celebrations

2008-11-07T21:59:00.000-08:00

It seem that there is always somewhere to go, something to prepare, cook, clean up after, or get ready for, but we are very thankful to have the means to do all that we can, and have so many wonderful experiences and make so many wonderful memories with our children. Ben recently celebrated his 6th birthday! His "real" birthday fell on a Thursday so we had a small celebration with a birthday dinner.

His request for dinner was BBQ chicken legs(chicken on the bone as he calls it), baked potatoes, and artichokes. At first he has requested brussels sprouts, but when his brother said, "Oh yuck", he quickly changed his mind, probably to appease him. And what a nice evening it was to be with family and celebrate his birthday by telling him stories of his birth. Ben was ready to get out of mama's belly and into the world. Cynthia, a very close friend, was there to help me through the birth. She had prepared some aromatherapy washcloths to help ease my anguish, but once they were warmed in the crockpot, I said, "I think I am ready". Cynthia's response, "Oh not yet we didn't get to use the soothing cloths". Ben was a VERY easy baby and I called him my Gentle Ben. He is still pretty sensitive and loves to be my cuddle bug....who just likes to dress up like Prince Caspain. He had to show off his new knight hat along with the full ensemble.
Benjamin also wanted to celebrate with a few school buddies and our friends from Talkeetna who came up for the weekend to visit, but we decided that our driveway was probably to challenging for most folks so we booked some space at our local gym, the Alaska Club. The kids were able to enjoy a dip in the pool, some rock climbing, and a big screen TV, oh wait the TV was for daddy to watch the football game, the kids were more interested in watching cartoons in the kids area! It was all great fun!

Tina brought Ben a awesome dragon and Zoe a sweet fairy made from polymer clay and she also brought the supplies so that we could make our own creations, which is just what we did! Ben made nice boat with a flag, Zoe had some help from Tina, but was able to create her own fairy, Rich made a taco, Jake made a hot dog, and I made a rose with a loop for stringing it to make a necklace. It was great to create something from clay that is so easy for the kids to use. I can see us doing this for Christmas gifts!

Of course it wouldn't have been a "celebration" for Ben without game playing. He LOVES to play board and card games and the new Narnia Monolopy was the perfect gift for him, well until we let the Hum's play.....there was some great excitement at the table and a lot of "discussion", but also loads of fun. It could have only been better if the Holt's and Shidner's would have been able to join us too! Happy 6th birthday Benjamin!

Exhibit Night

2008-10-20T00:33:00.000-07:00

We can't say enough good things about the school the boys are attending this year. They are just loving everyday!!! So near the end of each quarter the school has what they call exhibit night. It is a time for the parents, teachers, and students to gather, have some yummy dinner, take a tour of the classrooms to see projects the students have been working on in their various classes, and watch students perform on stage in the gym.

This exhibit night was put on by grades K-2, so parents with students in those grades helped out by bringing items for the meal and helping with set up, running the silent auction, serving dinner, cashiering, or clean up. After we arrived we decided to have dinner first and boy did we enjoy those yummy soft tacos with salsa, sour cream, and chips on the side. Jake decided to pass on dinner because he was performing that night for his "On Stage" class and he had been pretty nervous for the past couple of days. So after dinner I went up to check on him. All of the girls in his class were wearing the elaborate costumes that they worked on themselves and applying make-up to decorate their faces. Their teacher had them do it all, from rewriting the script to fit the time constraints for the event, to making costumes and props! What great experiences!!

Jake was a little too shy to wear his full costume. I just don't get it, 'cause he dresses up all the time at home??? His teacher understood that his "Eskimo" shyness was coming out and didn't make him put it on....he said it was too embarrassing with so many people. His Dad said he didn't blame him...he doesn't like being in from of people much either. In the picture below, Jake is playing a bird, nesting in Rafunzel's hair, one of the fractured fairy tale performances. Others included Spiderella and Slurping Beauty.
Ben's classroom also performed. They are leaning SO much sign language, his teacher Mrs. Lessley is VERY good!! Along with singing the alphabet song forward and backward WITH signs! They have also learned many other songs including their version of "Humpy Dumpty" shown here (sorry about the cut off, we're still not great with video recording):

Guess who's birthday?

2008-10-19T23:43:00.000-07:00

As I walked down the beach with my round belly bulging against my too tight jacket, looking for sea glass or "gillies" as some good friends call them. I was thinking to myself, " I can't wait to meet you my little sugar pie. I know you are going to be so sweet and gentle and graceful! David and I had driven into town for "one last date" before this little one came. We had planned to have a relaxing dinner and maybe see a movie at the new theater, but of course when we got to town, the weather was just perfect for a stroll along the beaches of Nome.

Now you might be able to guess who was born on this day four years ago by looking at this picture, what every young parent dreams of .....the papa rocking the baby to sleep for you.
And just look at how much the birthday girl has changed in just two short years. This was a birthday celebration in Koyuk.

And last night we had a birthday dinner with a few friends and Zoe enjoyed opening her presents, and blowing out her candles. We'll celebrate more tomorrow with cupcakes at her preschool classroom and just the family at dinner!

The last load......

2008-10-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

Winter came a little too quickly this year and were we prepared? No, we're still "developing" on our "preparing for Fairbanks winters" standards. A few things still on the list are getting the wood stove installed, windows sealed...the list is lengthy), but there was one that cost us....we didn't get the snow tires(with studs) on our truck soon enough. What might you ask happened as a result? ....SMACK went the truck against a tree. Yes, I was going a little too fast down the driveway, didn't have it in low gear, there was newly fallen snow, and my brakes locked up and well you get the picture..... cause I was too shaken up to take any.
At least we got one last load in the truck before I totaled it. We miss it 'cause it's hauled many a things for us and others over the past few years.

Just a few weeks early this had been the conversation D & I had:

S: I don't want to drive that BIG 'OL ( LONG bed) truck all over town with a plow on it. It is hard enough to drive as it is and you can't park it anywhere.

D: Looking at me with no sympathy since his rig is older than mine and pretty beat up. Ok then we can switch cars.

S: Not the answer I wanted...give the look. What do you think about a KIA? It would get good gas mileage and we could just park the truck and use it for plowing and when we ALL need to fit to go in town.

D: Always the voice of reason. We can't buy a car right now, you'll just have to drive the truck or my car.

S: Pouts like the spoiled child she is and gives D that look that says, you should give me what I want because I am a princess Fine.

So when I got on the phone to called D after trekking up our LONG driveway....his response: of course first he asked if I was OK and I was, just extremely shaken and a lovely bruise appeared later across my chest and under my breast where my seat belt had been and Zoe, although her feet were cold from the walk, again not prepared for winter, she was unfazed and not a bruise on her, thank goodness! Then he said, I guess you really did want a new car.... and I am sure he wanted to say, but you didn't have to wreck my damn truck.

Well after all was said and done...I got my "new" car, it's an "03 Toyota Sequoia with an extra seat in the back and I just LOVE it, but I don't recommend having to wreak to get what you want!!!

Education

2008-09-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

I found this speech in the place where most people house their best literature....the bathroom, it was one of the most interesting pieces on education that I've read in a while and I thought I should share it here. It's six pages long, but makes some insightful, thoughtful, and direct points about the institution of education, our nation, and families.....and it was written 18 years ago... I sure wish he would have been one of my teaching mentors.

A Lost tooth, a ballerina, and a bucking seesaw???

2008-09-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

These first few weeks of school have been filled with so many exciting new things for our family. Today while eating an apple Ben lost his first baby tooth!!!! Then while eating some Papa Murphy's pizza he lost his other bottom front tooth! We set one down and it got lost, those suckers are TINY, but we put the other one in a special treasure box and wrote a note to the tooth fairy asking her and I quote, "Could you please leave some money, it really doesn't matter how much." Hopefully she'll remember to visit tonight and just in time..... there is a new Waldorf inspired wooden toy store in town with some VERY cool items I know the kids will love. Zoe already got to check it out one day and made out her very LONG wish list for her upcoming birthday.

Zoe has been asking to take dance lessons, so we enrolled her in ballet and tap class at Mo Holland's Dance Studio. Of course she just had to have the purple dance outfit and mama even fixed her hair...daddy says the only time she gets if fixed is when Donna visits. Donna can actually fix it MUCH better than I can. Zoe just LOVED her first day following the teacher's lead and trying out new steps, taps, and shuffles,

along with some tumbling at the end followed with a stamp for a job well done!

Jake....well I guess he's just getting some energy out after getting adjusted to long days in the classroom,

and he was very happy to have some time to spend with his buddy Blake. As soon as Jake got in the truck, Blake's face just lit up and he started giggling.

And as for the mama, well mama got a job. A few weeks ago I went for my first interview in 13 years. Yes, you read that right. Although I worked off and on for Bering Strait, I never had to interview with them....they just gave me a job, so I haven't done any interviews since I got my first teaching job in 1997! I must have done something right, 'cause I'll be working a couple nights a week and some on the weekend at Barnes and Noble! Yep, I'm going to be a bookseller and a mama. Hope I can remember how to manage both.

As for the daddy, well he just wants to know if he can buy a boat now. We'll have to see about that one. His year is going pretty well. The school district has adopted something called the Fish Philosophy, based on the Seattle fish market. It seems to be boosting moral and encouraging positive thinking!

Fall Foliage Drive

2008-09-08T22:55:00.000-07:00

Sunday was just what a weekend should be there were donuts, kids happy shouts from the trampoline heard from the deck where we sat sipping coffee, visiting with friends, no hurrying around, just taking the day as it came which included a breath taking drive to the Lower Chatanikia River late in the afternoon. Just as we were headed down our driveway a glowing rainbow greeted us, as if Mother Nature was saying, " Get out and enjoy this fine weather" ......and that is just what we did!

We found a cool little place to go camping, hopefully next weekend, with plenty of tall grass for the kids to play hide and seek. A fallen tree was a favorite for the kids to climb. Which is the kind you must have around here, 'cause Aspen, Birch, and Spruce are a little tricky to scamper up. While a local camper was packing things up for the weekend, he told us that early that morning he had spotted a bull moose, but was unable to get a shot off. YUM, I would LOVE the opportunity to fill the freezer with meat for the winter, and since we live in town we can take it to get processed and not have to do it ourselves! Now that's what I'm talking about....oh wait, I guess we better get a moose first.

The colors on the trees were brilliant along the winding path down to the river bank, reminding me of my favorite Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken, I don't know why but for some reason I think he wrote this poem with reference to fall time..maybe the first line "two roads diverged in a yellow wood" or maybe "in leaves no step had trodden black" making me think that no one had walked there yet and the new fallen leaves were still golden.

Yes, fall is definitely one of my favorite times of the year. There are so many wonders for the senses to inhale..... pumpkins (ours are actually still trying to grow, but I think the frost might get 'em), the last of the high bush cranberries, their leaves scarlet with color shouting pick me, pick me, burnt orange and golden yellow leaves lazily drifting down to the ground, mesmerizing bonfires, weenie roasts, messy smores smeared over smiling faces, camping trips with chilly mornings. It's one of my favorite times of the year. Hope you're able to take a few hours to celebrate fall!

A weekend FULL of friends!

2008-08-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

Our very good friend and former student Donna returned to Fairbanks to go back to school at UAF. She just lacks a few hours being a sophomore and is working on a degree in Inupait, but is thinking about changing to math.

We were all thrilled for her to be back in town. Zoe wanted to take her our only sunflower that had bloomed from the garden, we put it in a plastic bottle, wrapped it with some tissue, tied it with raffia, and added a small card. I think Donna liked it and I know it will add some brightness to her dorm room when she moves in on Sunday.

After we picked her up we headed to HOT LICKS a local ice cream store for a yummy treat!

It was the second time we've been there without daddy, so he just may get us, but with the long weekend I am sure we might be able to get him to take us again! Donna enjoyed some strawberry ice cream in a chocolate dipped waffle cone, while Jake and I got a sugar cone dipped in chocolate. Ben and Zoe both loved their Hawaiian Ice. I don't think you can get anything BAD there, so far everything I have tried has been pretty tasty! We have to enjoy it while we can, because they close for the winter soon.
The kids just love playing on the FunTime Park located near there. There are plenty of swings for sharing with friends,

and a merry-go-round that can spin unbelievably fast...sometimes a little TOO fast after a big ice cream cone! On one end of the park there is a small community garden and they planted corn and it's taller than me! What a wonderful way to spend a Friday afternoon with a friend!

On Saturday we all headed off to Jake's football game and boy was it a good one. The Saints were down 0-16 in the first half, but then came back to win the game 19-13. It was a pretty exciting game.After the game we headed to Pioneer Park to enjoy a picnic lunch with our friend Marty-O. She had driven up from Anchorage to show a visitor the sites in Fairbanks. The world is SO small at times, Marty was staying with her friend Mindy, who told her about this nice family she met at a birthday party. They had three kids, and lived in the bush for 11 years. Marty asked Mindy what their name was and it turns out...that family was us....too funny! It was nice to share a picnic lunch with all of those ladies and boy do they know how to pack a picnic! They had some yummy liver loaf, a creamy spinach dip, a fizzy pomegranate drink, and a delicious creamy fruit salad! We added some tuna salad, salmon dip, and watermelon. It was another beautiful sunny, just right for sitting at a picnic table, sharing our knitting, and visiting with Marty and Mindy, while David took the kids to play miniature golf and Judy played tourist at the local gift shops.

You might think that our weekend was quite complete, but Katie will be in town today to start school at UAF. I couldn't be more proud of my two former students, going to school and being all grown up. You might think it makes me feel old, but actually it's just super gratifying to know they are making decisions that will give them an abundance of life choices!!!

Crazy First Day of School

2008-08-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

Today was Benjamin's first day of kindergarten at Barnette Magnet School and Zoe's first day of pre-school at Joy Elementary. This was a little crazy for the mama, cause Ben's day began at 8:15 and Zoe was suppose to be at her school at 8:30 and there is at least a 10 minute drive across town(yes, I know this is laughable for some...10 minutes to get across town). I just HAD to get some pictures of Ben with his teacher and outside the school, so this made us a wee bit late to Zoe's school, but Mrs. Jeanie, her teacher said not to worry!

Ben had a great day reading of course The Kissing Hand by Audry Penn and then getting to make his own special kissing hand. His teacher also introduced them to sign language and the calendar. They also got to listen to a book on tape! Ben said the best thing about his day was playing inside, but there were things that were "off limits" today, but they would be available on another day. He also gets to take snack next week and bring special items from home in a "sound bag". His teacher will send a bag home with a letter on it and we will search the house to find objects that begin with that letter. What a great way to get families involved in their children's learning!

Zoe actually RAN all the way down the sidewalk to get to her classroom! She was SO excited to be in school like her big brothers. And the minute she hit the classroom she pulled out her journal from last year. Her teacher loved seeing her drawings, squiggles, and letter writing.

Zoe got to use the white board to draw pictures and write her name, play princess, kitchen, read a story, and play outside on the playground. She can't wait to go back tomorrow! Jake is also LOVING his teacher, who happen to tell me today that she felt pretty lucky to have such a great kid in her classroom. In the afternoons, Jake has what Barnette refers to as explorations, kids get to choose classes based on their interests after they complete their morning of core subjects. This quarter Jake has "On Stage", "Danger Class for Boys" and "Wagons Ho". The "Danger" class is based on ideas from this book,
which is a must if you have a kids who likes to experiment, and read! Jake's year is off to a great start! He is even getting comfortable with the idea of "performing" in front of others in his "On Stage" class.

After all of the kids were safely at school, I calmly walked back to the truck, started the engine and let out a long loud YYYAAAAHHHHOOO, two hours of me time! I happily drove to Barnes & Noble, got a non-fat mocha and settled myself by the fireplace with knitting needles in hand. So mama got to relax and just LOVED the first day of school too!

Friday Night in

2008-08-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know it's been a while since I made a post, but if you lived in Fairbanks and had experienced 40 below winters......and you had beautiful 75 degree weather, with blue cloudless skies for the past week, trust me you wouldn't spend the time inside blogging either!

This is the first week of school for some of the family. David started a week ago, Jake is at his new school, Barnette Magnet, and Ben got a peek at his kindergarten classroom, while we visited with his teacher, during his testing. Her classroom is FULL with 21 students and no full-time aide. Yikers, looks like I will be doing some volunteer work in his classroom to help out. Zoe dropped in to meet her pre-school teacher at Joy, yes she's headed to Daddy's school three days a week to be in their program. Everyone has been pretty excited with new school backpacks from L.L. Bean, school shoes, and supplies. All starting out their first week with BIG smiles! School is back in session for everyone except me.....I'm feeling a little left out!

So I thought what better way to spend a Friday night, but at the house cooking out, drinking Mojitos on the deck with some great grilled food and a beautiful salad filled with bounty, collected by Jake, from our garden! I discovered this Best Ever Mojito recipe for the drinks. Unlike the perfect housewife I didn't have a drink ready to slip into my husband's hand when he arrived home from work. I just happened to go outside to play and look around in the garden and I just couldn't go back in the house, literally I couldn't go inside, it was THAT BEAUTIFUL outside! But shortly after he arrived we were ready to relax on the deck, sip our tasty drinks, and talk about his first week at school, which went VERY well!

While we swigged our beverages, David started the charcoal, and then decided to hang out in the yard tossing the football around with Jake and Zoe while we waited for the coals to get ready.

I worked on getting the corn ready, we like to shuck the corn, but you can also leave them on, rub it with a little butter and sprinkle it with Cavender's Greek Seasoning, before wrapping it in foil and setting it on the top rack to cook. I also cut up the chicken, and marinated it in some teriyaki sauce, and prepared a salad with veggies from the garden, no the cherry tomatoes aren't from our bounty, ours aren't quite ready yet.

While everything was cookin' on the grill Daddy and Jake discussed creating a new cartoon character. Jake says that I am not at liberty to revel the name, 'cause it's top secret and someone might take his idea.

Anyway, this conversation lead to drawing the character....thank goodness for the internet, David just downloaded a "How to draw a Super Hero" and the kids were all busy with their new creations, giving everyone in the family specific powers and abilities. And while the kids were busy at the table sketching, creating, and sharing their ideas, the daddy and I goofed around taking ghostly pictures by using the refection in our windows. Click the picture if you would like to see it enlarged.

And when the food was all ready, we set the picnic table outside and sat down for a much anticipated family dinner. Sometimes a Friday "night-in" can just what a busy family needs to reconnect and enjoy each other!

Swamped?

2008-08-13T01:42:00.000-07:00

Finally the rain stopped and you would think that I would have had PLENTY of time to blog on all those rainy summer days, but alas our days have been busy with SO many activities:David's 38th birthday::walking the bike path::sitting on the porch knitting::Ben's flag football games::Jake's Rook football games::playing games(our new favorite is Loot, thanks Rohnan and Keegan)::back to work for David::keeping Blake::dinner party with friends::cookout with snores::knitting Olympics::watching the Olympics(yes we got a small TV, no cable)::bouncing on the trampoline::gardening::enjoying blueberry treats(ice cream and blueberry pancakes)::knit night::playing golf::trying a new restaurant Phad Thai::playing faries/Polly Pocket::dressing up and of course all of the other household chores and such.

Blueberries, Blueberries Everywhere and Every One to EAT!

2008-08-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

That's right the rains finally stopped, after the Tanana, Salcha, and Chena Rivers flooded. Leaving many people stranded and unable to get in or out of their homes for a few days, but I was glad to see the waters finally recede and the sun come out to dry things up. Luckily we didn't have any problems due to the flood waters. Of course after two weeks of kids running around the house, playing board games and watching videos we were all VERY happy to get outside. David and I had a feeling that there might just be some blueberries ready for picking up at Murphy Dome, so into the truck we packed our rain gear, extra fleece(it's been a pretty cold summer, even by Alaskan standards), snacks, water, and of course berry buckets, AKA: yogurt or ice cream containers.....there was one thing we forgot...the camera...oops. We headed to SUBWAY where we picked up a few foot-long sandwiches and headed for the hills.A short drive later and we were walking out of the squishy tundra, smelling Labrador tea that conjured up memories of days spent on the Seward Peninsula where we first fell in love with blueberry picking. That is right just like in this book,

Check out Ann Dixon's book

we are a family who LOVES to pick blueberries! I can't actually remember a summer or fall when we didn't go out to "roam mossy hummocks" in search of these tiny blue treasures. This year we were all able to walk in our own two rubber boots, no one needed to be amaaqtuq or carried and there was no fussing, whining or crying about eating Mom and Dad's berries. Everyone was able to pick their own!!! While we were picking we sang song like The Supreme's Stop in the Name of Love, changing the words just a bit to meet our needs and it went something like this, "Stop in the name of blueberries, before you squish it's juice....walk on oooveeerrr, walk aroooouuunndd.

Many scat discoveries were made. We found moose, bear and what we were pretty sure was dog poop. Colorful tundra flowers bloomed everywhere and of course there were blackberries and cranberries, but they didn't seem to attract our attention as much as the other berries. We even found a couple of aqpiks better known as salmon berries. Of course there were "old blueberry stories" told by Jake about him picking blueberries from Rich's bucket, having picnics on the tundra, and picking WAY past bedtime, 'cause who can resist those LONG Alaskan days.
Ben was labeled the Blueberry Buzzard because he would circle and circle until you stopped to pick and then rush in to eat your bounty, but no one really minded, they would just move on to another patch. We were all "counting our blueberries before they were picked" and dreaming about all of the things we would make with our booty, blueberry pancakes, muffins, waffles, blueberry sausage casserole, blueberry ice cream, blueberry crisp, blueberry pie, blueberries in our yogurt, cereal....OK OK you get the idea. All in all it was a wonderful family outing, one of those "best days" that you remember for years to come and tell stories about during next years blueberry picking outing!

Girl's night out

2008-07-27T00:48:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night I hosted the our local knitting group at my house for some good food, great laughter, and fancy creations. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and I think we had an all time high attendance with 19 knitters!

Kat talks about yarn so fine, it's become her new boyfriend...wink

Classic Kate knitting and rocking

Golden Days Parade

2008-07-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

Yet another exciting event to attend in the greater Fairbanks area happened this past weekend. According to the local paper the Golden Days Celebration is one of the largest community events, with activities that lasted all week long. This is an occasion to honor the area's history (check her e for more informati on). Of course the parade was the highlight for my family. Jake & Dad were actually in the procession to support the Fairbanks American Football & Cheerleading League.

There were 103 entrants, all with plenty of flair & presented in a variety of ways. Of course there were handfuls of candy & American flags passed out to the little ones. I have noticed that no candy was throw, but handed to individuals, I wonder if it's to help cut down on the littering??? I definitely like this idea better than when I was a little girl and you had to scramble to get your candy.

There were fancy old cars

floats of all types

the second float was actually pulled by a tractor, look close, see the signs? One says: tractor 1947, and the other sign says: driver 1928.

There was a variety of music

several organizations

but this guy had to be my favorite....the Trashasauras, what a cleaver way to inform people about our growing problem with plastic bags and remind everyone to take reusable totes with them when they shop...

After the parade was over the downtown Fire Station had a very grand open house. Firemen cooked up free hot dogs which were served with chips and sodas. Kids could win a free Hot Licks Ice Cream certificate for promising to check their household fire alarms. They could also spray the water hose at a wooden house on fire and try to knock down the flames, slide down part of the pole and check out the inside of several fire trucks. What a terrific end to a fun filled free family day!

Oh Baby....number four?

2008-07-18T00:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have to say that baby fever has hit me again. I know my kids are all able to go to bed without rocking, wipe their own hiney (yes diaper free after 8 years), and feed themselves.....but still there is that yearning to hold a little one in your arms, watch them suckle at the breast, sing them to sleep, and the awe one feels seeing them reach milestones. Babies are just...... well..... irresistible! What in the world you ask brings these feelings up after things were pretty much "fixed" so to speak. We had the "Oh yea well I birthed three children and carried them for nine months each, so I am thinkin' its your turn baby". But tell me who could resist this little jewel?
Blake is back in our lives a couple of days a week. We ALL really love having him around. There is something about watching the love of your life and the father of your children play with a baby.....it just takes your breath away and I thank my lucky stars that I have such a terrific man in my life. Check out these pictures with his own little sugar pies!

Jake resting on Daddy at our place in Teller

Jake checking out his new baby brother with Dad at the Haviland's

Zoe cuddling with Daddy, while you see Allison snuggling with Granny in the background

I have thought about the all night feedings, diapers up to your elbows, spit-up laden shirts, never feeling like you have a moment for yourself, and just falling into the bed every night knowing that you won't possibly hear the baby if she cries, but waking the second she does........ so I guess for now we'll just enjoy Blake and the Foshee Five will stay that way, but we can at least keep practicing!

Oh the things we've been up to.....

2008-07-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

Busy in the last couple of weeks doesn't even describe the Foshee Family life here is a synapse of what our crazy fun filled life....

Pictures from top left, Allison's very late felted birthday bag::finding a Sea Gull nest when fishing with dad::canoing down the Chena/Tanana Rivers on the 4th of July with the Hums::harvesting from the garden::::enjoying rain & sunshine::canoe fishing with dad and the fun continues with

visiting with our friend Paula from Teller and playing games

knitting with the Fairbanks Fiberista's at InuaJake and Ben both started football
finishing up a very over sized calorimetry for Tina's birthday

and the list of adventures continues, but I will save that for another day....or post!

Jake's 9th birthday::Obstacle Course

2008-07-06T12:47:00.000-07:00

By the time one reaches nine years old, there have been many obstacles to over come, some that we don't really even think about like jabbering, then talking, learning to crawl, then walk, next there are friendships to be made, experiencing loss, handling a move, traveling....the list just goes on and on. Jake, our big nine year old, has experienced many "obstacles" in his life and we though it would be fun to set up a course for his friends to run. He had a wonderful birthday....almost a week ago....life has been a little busy at the Foshee home. A few of Jake's friends from his football team came over for his bash and his friend Pippin, who has been staying with us for a couple of days, was also able to attend! When the kiddos arrived they made medallions to hang around their necks and take home as prizes, I have trouble with all of the cheap plastic goodie bag stuff, since it usually breaks and ends up in the garbage, so I found wooden shapes we could decorate, add some ribbon and you have a medallion, a great addition to any dress up trunk!The obstacle course was a big hit with all of the attendees. Jake traveled through the ladder with ease then it was on to the....
balloon table where Charlie had no problem finding his way under......next

was the target! Kids would stand on here and Daddy would toss a water balloon for them to catch or if they missed they were able to cool off with a little splash!!!!Even Zoe was able to enjoy the obstacle course. Here she is walking on the balance beam, Daddy and Jake set up the whole course.....didn't they do a great job!
Ben breezed through the hula hoop jumping......and on to...rounding the arches goes Pippin, holding a ping-pong ball on a spoon with Spencer, the dog, following and finally....

Through the finish line Papa was holding where participants were rewarded with a cool Gatorade to quench their thirst after a fabulous run!Then on to yummy deserts and estimating how many marshmallows were in the jar.....Glen Jr. was the winner.
and then Jake blew out all of his candles.....hopefully all of his nine year old wishes will come true!

Talking in the Hammock

2008-06-25T03:08:00.000-07:00

This was just too sweet not to share, one of the "priceless" moments from our visit to Oklahoma. A conversation with Grandpa Frog Lips & Squirrel Girl.

Friends of the Attic Reunion

2008-06-25T01:46:00.001-07:00

David and I are lucky to have many close friendships...we still keep in touch with friends we went to school with at the University of Oklahoma via a group on yahoo. It's a great way to keep in touch with everyone when we are spread across the map from Alaska to South Carolina and everywhere in between.

We were fortunate to meet up with these folks in Ada, while visiting family in Oklahoma. The kids were able to climb trees, wade in the creek, jump on the trampoline, scramble up the tree house, drink some pirate punch(cranberry juice & margarita mix), or play with Max & Dexter's mountain of toys:) Meanwhile the adults enjoyed some delicious food, mojitos with Gypsy's "simple syrup" recipe, a Wedding via webcam, congratulations Robert & Vergie's, too bad we all couldn't come to Vegas to celebrate with you.

Kim & Gabby cool their feet

But I think everyone enjoyed hanging out, visiting, and remembering "the good old days" even though Mike, I mean Mark has trouble remembering ALL of the FOTA members....Huh, Mark. Thanks again to Tim and Amy for opening up their home and cooking up some tasty foods. Amy got the recipe for her tasty potato salad at Smitten Kitchen. Check out some of those photos!Mark was presented with a OU Gnome
and plaque for being the winner of the
"You Pick'Em" basketball tournament

Summer is the perfect time to reconnect, hope you're taking a few moments to delight in the company of friends, and family.

A Peaceful walk

2008-06-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

Beginning the day the right way can make you feel so energetic, a bowl of fruit with breakfast, then out the door and down the hill to raise the heart rate. Walking......there are so many more things to notice when your feet are hitting the pavement and not pushing on the gas petal: Aspen leaves blowing the in wind, Bluebells scattered on the side of the road, the casual wave of a stranger winding down the curving road, dragonflies darting about, the crunch of the gravel under foot, or the puffy clouded sky filled with creatures just waiting to the discovered. A walk is always a delight for the senses. Sense I like this definition from my MacBook ( sense of) a keen intuitive awareness of or sensitivity to the presence or importance of something. While strolling down Rosie Creek these are just a few of the delights that that my senses encountereredI thought this was Dwarf Fireweed, but after looking at a picture I'm not sure. Any hints? But the following picture I recognize well and was happy to see the first of it's kind as I kicked up my step.
Fireweed (Common Fireweed) Epilobium angustifolium many say that when this flower has bloomed all the way to the top summer has ended. I was glad to see it's colorful blooms greet me as I rambled on down the road......but it also means you better get out and enjoy this beautiful Alaskan summer while it lasts. Tt is after all, after Solstice, and we are on the down side.

A Baseball Game::Water Fun::Lazer Zone::Papa's Ribs

2008-06-15T17:40:00.001-07:00

I am running just a wee bit behind on posting for this blog since we have been SO busy enjoying time with our family and friends. This past week we went to a Redhawks baseball game in Bricktown. When the players leave the field to go to the dug out they would throw the ball to the kids sitting in the stands and both Jake and his cousin Brittany managed to catch a ball!!! But silly Mom forgot the camera...shucks. After the game Jake asked if he could have a mitt and he has had "ball fever" ever since. He even enjoys watching baseball on TV, now really who enjoys that?
Ben had his first "real" sleep over with his cousin Gavin. He enjoyed playing with his pirate ship and all of the kids enjoyed playing in the sprinkler and mud puddles at my niece Rebekah's house. Her daughter Brooklyn and Zoe had a wonderful time dressing up and playing together.

Jake enjoyed throwing the ball around with Rebekah and then the kids headed to the local school yard for a game of ball with David and in this heat(it's been hitting 90 degrees everyday) that is truly special. What a sweet daddy!

Of course one of the highlights for the kids was a trip to Lazer Zone which has video games, batting cages, virtual soccer, NEON bowling (they turn on black lights and everything glows), mini golf, a large play area and a snack center. Of course the best thing about this for the adults is that it is all INDOORS and out of the heat! A good time was had by all, while the kids whooped it up the adults enjoyed catching up!

And what visit wouldn't be complete with out Papa's Ribs! He slow smokes these juicy pork ribs for about eight hours over hickory chips. For years I have tried to get him to open a BBQ stand 'cause he would sell out in a matter of hours each day...yes, they are that GOOD! Thanks you Papa for smokin' us up some yummy southern barbecue.

Fun with Family

2008-06-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

Flight from Fairbanks to Dallas, Texas ..........$wallet stripping
Drive from Dallas to Oklahoma ......................$120 compared to the alternative $220 each for a flight...yikes
Time spent with our family............................... priceless

We are truly enjoying our family and friends during this trip home. One afternoon we went into Oklahoma City to pick up Granny Moore and take her to lunch at the Bricktown Brewery. Granny wanted to take the kids to one of the free splash parks, but we couldn't find it, but instead we went to Earlywine Public Pool and let me tell you they don't make pools like this when I was a kid. This pool came complete with two water slides a floating turtle slide, two diving boards, and a cool kids splash area. Even Zoe and Ben tried this tower of fun....with Mom and Dad wrapped around them of course. Granny stayed wrapped up in a towel to keep the sun off her, but still wanted to take the kids to get some ice cream to cool off after all of our fun in the sunshine! Thank you great Granny, for a wonderful afternoon.

The boys alway love fooling around with their Grandpa Foshee. He has all kinds of cool toys, including rock tumblers, four-wheelers, wood working tools, a fun new Bolo Golf game (check out how to make one here), and of course what small farm wouldn't be complete without a tractor. After helping Grandpa split and stack wood, Grandpa rewarded the boys with $10 each and a fun ride in the front end loader of the tractor. Granny and Mom were a little worried at first, but Grandpa is a pretty good driver and we stopped fretting and started snapping pictures once our hearts stopped racing! This is something the boys will be talking about for months to come and I am sure it will become a tradition to ride on Grandpa's tractor each time we come to visit.

David and I have enjoyed some time to ourselves one night Granny Foshee watched the kiddos and we went to Norman, our old stomping ground, where David and I went to college. We enjoyed a delicious meal and and some cold drinks at Jason's AKA Franken's great new house. Danika surprised me with a Yarn bag and some knitting magnets! Friends are so throughtful!!! Thanks Danika! Another night Aunt Traci wanted the kids to sleepover so David and I dropped off the kids in the afternoon and were able to hit The Red Cup for some much needed joe and SWAK a sweet yarn store just happened to be next door. They didn't have the Noro, a type of yarn, I needed to finish up a project so we went to The Gourmet Yarn. They had a great selection and were VERY helpful. After that we met up with David's parents and they took us out to eat at a delicious Mexican Restaurant in Shawnee. We even had sopaipillas with strawberries and ice cream! What a relaxing evening!

The fun continued when all of David's cousins on his moms side came out to his folk's house for a night of swimming, more tractor rides, burgers and dogs hot off the grill served with all of the wonderful summer side dishes, plenty of rounds of Bolo Golf, and of course swinging and playing in the sand box! Jake had a great time showing Lauren and Erin (twins) around the ponds, when Zoe wasn't having them carry her around or play babies. David and I both enjoyed catching up with everyone, playing games, and visiting with his Granny Barnes. I think she really enjoyed having all of her "chicks" in the same place for a night of family fun.
These are just a few of the highlights from the week we spend with Granny and Grandpa Foshee. This week we will be at my Dad's house and have plenty more exciting adventures planned with my brother and his family. Stay tuned for more family fun!!!

Coming Home

2008-06-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

When you are away from a place that you lived for most of your life you tend to forget about some of the things that you LOVE about that place. David and I both grew up in Oklahoma and we are thrilled to be able to share some of our childhood experiences with our children: watching thunderstorms roll in across the plains::fireflies::listening to the crickets::tree swings::riding on the tractor::long lovely sunsets::playing at the pond::tromping through the woods at Granny and Grandpas::sitting on the front porch::playing games in the yard like Bolo Golf (a great new game) and croquet::picking peaches warm off the tree::riding the 4-wheeler::running down to Great Granny's to play and get a cookie from the jar that is never empty::listing to the whippoorwill after dark sing their song::spending the night with the cousins::swimming::enjoying warm summer nights!

There are just few things we miss about Oklahoma

Oklahoma in Pictures

2008-06-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

Pictures from top left: sunset over hay bales, Indian paint brush, cow skull on a fence post, alfalfa field, Foshee mailbox sign, beautiful barn, wagon wheel fence, recently planted field, giant Blackjack Oak tree, cows being herded, round hay bales, fence, Granny's garden in red earth, wheat field, windmill.

Airport Layovers::Kid Ideas

2008-05-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

The worst part of traveling for a vacation has to be the time trapped in the airport with small children. I have never understood why they don't provide fold down beds instead of those rather uncomfortable chairs and why aren't there playgrounds in every airport(I do recall Denver having a small play place) for kids, after all you can get a haircut, pedicure and a massage, but when will these folks who design airports realize that about 3/4 of the population is traveling with little ones in tow? Oh, wait I remember playgrounds take up space and usually don't make money......so I guess it's just left up to us parents to find inventive new ways to keep our wee ones entertained so here are a few ideas.

Well thank goodness for computers and DVD players, but OK really you can only leave them plugged in for so long and then they are done, thank goodness. Well, if you happen to be stuck at the Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, they have a wonderful Native Museum just above the Starbucks that has a variety of terrific art work. We were even able to find a piece from Frank Miller, an artist from Teller that does fantastic scrimshaw on walrus tusks along with a variety of other crafts from all over Alaska.

Ben packed some of his Playmobil guys along with some knights and army men and the big windows seemed to make a perfect spot for him to set up a battle and get his daily requirement of vitamin D, oh but wait we were in Seattle so there wasn't much sun but terrific light was still streaming into his field of play.Being an experienced traveler I have learned that bring a combination of toys, books, or other fun object that the kids have never seen before helps to keep them busy. Jake and Ben both loved these maze books, Ben had the Treasure Hunt Mazes. Mom forgot to bring some tracing paper, but they didn't seem to mind. This KLUTZ book kept both daddy and son "tied" up for much of the 6 hour layover in Seattle. I think I will be getting another string book with more advanced techniques. This one seems to have gotten pretty good reviews.

Of course you can always have fun playing with your food, after all you have had little sleep, are stuck in a rather dull place, and desperately wish you could wiggle your nose and "POOF" be at your destination. Zoe and I tried that by the way, and she said that our magic had run out, but there was some fun to be had playing with her Woodkin dolls. You can change their magnetic heads and dress them up in different clothing. To me they are just like wooden paper dolls and they also come in a great little carrying case of their very own that has a handle....perfect for a three year old!

And what is a mama to do with all of her spare time while the kids are busy with their innovative new toys? Well you can always start balling a new yarn and cast on a new project and if that doesn't keep you busy there is alway shopping! I just happen to pick up a great new handmade bag from Queen Bee Creations. It was just too hard to resist.

Hopefully if you are traveling this summer you will have flights that leave on time, arrive on time, and have no layovers in between, but just in case that doesn't happen come prepared.

Crafts::Building

2008-05-25T23:01:00.000-07:00

May is always a busy month with the ending of school, graduations, getting ready for summer and planning for vacations, and summer camps. But during this busy month I found the time to finish some much neglected projects.

The first project was from Martha Stewart's Baby Special Issue, winter 2001. I think I was making this adorable book for Ben, who now happens to be five, almost six year old. It turned out great and we can't wait for the new baby in our lives, Blake (I watch him while his mommy finishes her graduate studies a couple of days a week) to enjoy it! My kids have loved taking the felted objects off the buttons and putting them back on if different locations. Who can resist a soft book?

To finish the book you just glue the pages together, glue a few small objects on the front, and blanket stitch down the binding! Now why didn't I finish this years ago?

The second project I finished up was a summer fairy for Zoe. The inspiration for this craft comes from this book. Jake was having a friend visit and I asked her in she was interested in doing a craft project, since her brother and Jake were jumping on the trampoline. She started her own fairy, which inspired me to finish up the one I had started in October. They are fun to make and about the right speed for an eight year old with previous sewing experience.

YES, YES, YES! The greenhouse is done! After a LONG day of working and planting, all of the flowers and veggies are in their proper place hopefully ready for the lengthy Alaska growing season. David added a nice fence around our garden beds so hopefully the moose won't be able to gobble down our plants this year!

Gravel.... the Modern 15th Anniversary Gift?

2008-05-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

Honey, I'm home....come and look what I got you for your anniversary gift!

That's right I got my husband a truck load of 3/4 inch gravel for our anniversary to fill the floor of our new greenhouse. We have been working on it for the past couple of nights and it is coming along quite nicely. I can't wait to transplant our starts into their new space!

Ok, so actually people say crystal, watches, or glass is the traditional and modern gifts for an anniversary, but I am sure that gravel is listed as the "practical gift". Yes, yes, I know the woman is the one who is suppose to get all upset when she doesn't get flowers and diamonds for her present, but well I guess I am just not that kind of girl. Almost every year David and I seem to forget our anniversary. Usually because it is the end of the school year and we are busy getting everything in order for summer vacation. I remember one year when we were living in Teller and I had gone to Unalakleet , our school district headquarters at the time, to do some work with our reading program . The conversation went like this.....

David: "Did you forget anything?"

Me: "No, I remembered to bring everything I needed."

David: "So you didn't forget anything?"

Me: (getting irritated thinking he is going crazy) "I have everything!"

David: "Maybe an important DATE?"

Me: (thinking oh S#*t) "Oh......was our anniversary today?"

David: "No it was two days ago, I was just making sure that you didn't remember and were just waiting to see when I would remember."

Me: (relieved) "Ugh, no I pretty much forgot too.....Happy Anniversary?"

So I guess you could say that we have a pretty special marriage, diamonds and pearls aside, we love one another and we're happy to celebrate our marriage to each other EVERY day and not just one day a year! I did pick up a yummy fruit tart to make the day memorable, and of course David the thoughtful got me a great card with a gift certificate to Memories and More, a local yarn and scrapbooking store...my two vices in one store...what out! He also picked up some tasty white blueberry bark and a grizzly bear claw from Alaska Chocolate House ... chocolate ....he knows the way to a girls heart!
David and I were married in a simple ceremony in my home town of Ada, Oklahoma, at a restored library called the Ada Arts and Heritage Center. We went to Oklahoma City that evening and stayed a night at the Waterford Hotel where David picked birdseed from my hair as we ate strawberries and whipped cream, before jetting off to sunny.....well actually rainy Cancun Mexico.

Well, three kids, one dog, and countless adventures later I love him more than the day he laid this kiss on me. I can't wait to see what life is like with him 15 years from now!!

Alaskan "Family" Visit

2008-05-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

In Alaska some people come to work here for a few years just to add some adventure to their lives or experience new things. But there are those of us who just can't seem to get it out of their blood and end of staying here maybe for the outdoor life, unique exploits, or just the mystique that captures your spirit and won't let go and along the way you meet friends who become what we have come to call our Alaskan "Family", because they are more than just friends. Yes, the Hum's and Holt's came to call this weekend and a wonderful time was had by all.

There were MANY drinks served, mainly yummy mojito's, strawberry margarita's and a little too much Jack Daniels for Rich and Rick. On Saturday night to go along with the Thai meal that we decided to make in honor of Tiffany's very special 40th birthday (coming up in June) Tina whipped up some Thai coffee....tasty! The kids enjoyed jumping on the trampoline, watching some movies, playing with bubbles, dressing up as fairies(Zoe and Tina), and more jumping! They are probably going to sleep good for a week!

Tiffany brought ALL of the supplies to make tie-dye T-shirts and hankerchiefs. This was the highlight of my boys weekend they said Sunday night at the dinner table when we played High/Low(a great little dinner game that allows each family member to share their day, just tell your High for the day and your Low). Needless to say everyone's low was that our "family" had to go back home.

We can hardly wait for another visit this summer maybe next time we will head down to Talkeetna! There was also talk of a sea-kayak trip....now that would be exciting! For more about the visit you can check out Tiffany's blog.

Mother's Day tribute

2008-05-10T22:37:00.000-07:00

Mother's day is always a bittersweet time for me, since my mother passed away just three year ago, but my own children are a constant reminder of all of the things my mother taught me because we tend to pass those things onto our young ones without even knowing. So this blog entry is devoted my mother, who was a truly selfless person. An example: One afternoon while my mother and I were sitting together chatting in over stuffed leather recliners leafing through magazines and talking about the latest fall fashions, waiting for her to be injected with her "toxic cocktail"she began looking around the room and spied a young man probably in his 30's I would have guessed. She said, "Oh Stacy I can't imagine what that poor young man is going through, my heart aches for him." And I am thinking to myself, hello mom you are going through this too, remember not being able to taste your food, or brush your teeth because of the sores in your mouth, and having to wear scarves because your hair is all gone, you don't even have any eyebrows anymore, why not feel sorry for you, or us? She must have read my thoughts because she continued. "Yes, it is unfortunate that I am ill and this cancer is wretched, but I am older and have experienced many thing in my life," she said, but continued to speculate about the young person, "but he must hold down a job, care for his family, wonder of his outcome, and pretend he feels well for his small children." At that moment I knew my mother was the angel I had suspected her to be all along. So here is the short list of what she taught me:

*You can't have too many friends
*Never call boys
*Friends are fabulous, but family is forever
*Always tell the truth, even if it hurts at the time
*Shopping always makes you feel better
*ALWAYS ask to see the dessert menu first (and if you feel you might not be able to eat dessert put half of your meal in a to-go box and order it anyway!)
*Make the beds because you never know who's going to come over
*Lipstick is a MUST to carry in your purse (Merle Norman's Camio Shrimp was her favorite)
*A Dr. Pepper and a little snickers is a great snack, even better split with a friend!
*For special occasions always use the nice china and crystal(don't have either of these yet)
*All outfits must match right down to the shoes and purse
*If you can't say something nice, then just smile
*Take dinner, send a card, or do something special for people who aren't feeling well
*Love thy neighbor
*Always send thank-you notes that are hand written
*Give your time, that shows your love more than anything
*Do your job with great care and love
*Love your husband more each day, just like you did when you were young

Me, Mom, and Rebekah her first grandchild

Thank you for taking this journey with me. This list doesn't even begin to record all of the things my mother taught me, but they give you a general idea as to the kind of person she taught me to be. I wish you all a beautiful and happy Mother's Day.

2008-05-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

Just in case you didn't know, May 5th-9th is teacher appreciation week! There are so many "teachers" in our lives and it is always nice to show how grateful we feel for all of their dedication. A quick card, a phone call, or a simple flower can express how much their time and efforts have meant to us. Don't forget to include all of the teachers who have made a difference in you life past or present!

A Relaxing Knitting Retreat!!!

2008-05-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend I packed up my bags, yarn, needles and headed to Mt. Aurora for a overnight retreat of the local Fairbanks Fiberistas, a group of Raverly. The original bunkhouse is located about 20 miles from town at the top of Cleary Summit. The views were beautiful and Brenda took great care of us preparing a spicy taco dinner Friday night, a huge breakfast on Saturday and a light salad lunch before we left. We will definitely be back for another opportunity to unwind on the soft couches, lounge on the deck, and snuggle in comfy beds.

Michelle brought her felting needles and I tried some needle felting. My fairy wasn't anything close to her polar bear, but I think I will have to take one of her classes next fall. She said my older kids would LOVE making felted Christmas balls out of this book and Zoe would be able to sit close to the sink with a pan and water-felt some colorful balls.

The group swapped yarn, shared baked goodies, talked endless about knitting and I even won a Fair Isle Sampler Hat for one of the door prizes! It was an fantastic way to unwind a learn more about my newest craft obsession. As I was getting ready to leave Monica was working on a stunning shawl for her mother with beads added in for an extra sparkle. She told me how she was going to wait until they were leaving to go to church and then she'd say something like, "Oh, wait I think you need this to make your outfit complete." I thought to myself as I was driving down the muddy road back to the main highway, tears welling in my eyes, I will never get to knit something for my my mother for Mother's day (she passed away in 2005 from complications due to breast cancer). It was a sad moment, but then I realized how much like her this whole jaunt had been. She always loved an opportunity to spend time in the company of a great group of ladies.

Do you Haiku?

2008-05-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

When David and I graduated from college we had a fun and crazy group of friends that we hung out with in Norman, OK. There were always Dirty Santa Christmas parties, Halloween costume parties, Sunday night Star Trek and poker games, the annual Memorial Day floating of the Illinois River and parties for just about any other occasion we could think of or dream up.

So one of our friends, I think it was Jason Wells (AKA Franken for his very large Frankenstein shaped head) put together a group on Yahoo, called the Friends of the Attic, since the house we hung out at the most had a perfect little attic room. All of the "friends" are now scattered to the wind from Alaska to South Carolina and everywhere in between. So keeping in touch via email or the group home page seemed the sensible thing to do, and Friday Haiku is part of our continuing tradition to keep the group live! This is an amusing way to wish our friends an enjoyable weekend and to quickly tell them a bit about our lives with a creative 5-7-5 syllable poem.
Here are a few excerpts for your reading pleasure...... and if your are also feeling creative, leave your comment in haiku form!!!

June 14 this year
is going to be lots of fun
friends coming to town

Obert/Vergie wed
a trophy presentation
air show in Ada

come one come ye all
stay up until the moon falls
wake bake pancakes make
Tim-Ada, OK

one, two, three, four, five.
one, two, three, four, five, six, sev-
one, two, three, four, five.

when i am alone
i am a guitar hero
but only when drunk

gas prices go up
four bucks a gallon out west
go buy a good bike
Dave-Juneau, AK

Good Friends::Good Food

2008-04-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

Well, you know someone must be coming to visit if I am baking bread!!! I don't know what got me out of the habit, 'cause I baked every loaf of bread we ate when I was staying home with the kids and not working in Teller. Convenience of shopping at the store where bread of all kinds and flavors is right at my finger tips has spoiled me I guess, but there really is nothing like the sweet smell of bread baking. It is such a welcoming aroma.

So Zoe helped me mix and measure to make a few loaves of Focaccia bread from one of my favorite cookbooks. The Tassajara Bread Book. If you are a beginner this book gives wonderful instructions on kneading the dough and includes fabulous pictures. And if you have experience with bread making and want to try something new, this book includes 113 recipes from yeasted breads to desserts and everything in between!

Everyone needs a little something to get them going in the morning with their coffee, so we also whipped up some raspberry muffins to grab on the run. Of course Jake was helping and started saying, "Raspberry Jazzberry, Razzamatazzberry," so we had to go find the book Jamberry and read it while we ate our muffins. The raspberries have been in our freezer since last summer when we picked them from our bushes on the property, but they sure made yummy muffins!

Donna Pushruk was also able to take time out of her busy schedule at UAF to visit with Cynthia! Here they are trying to figure out some rather challenging math problems....yikes! Cynthia and I have been getting in some great visiting time even though she has conferences during the days to attend. Zoe is enjoying an extra person to read to her and I am LOVING catching up with my wonderful friend!

I just has to include a picture of the housewarming present Cynthia picked up at If Only a groovy little store in downtown Fairbanks. These are Original Clay Handwarmer Mugs created by Bob & Corina Neher in Milton-Freewater Oregon. Just slide your hand in and drink up! Thanks you Cynthia, we love them.

Reading::Snowing

2008-04-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

We have had some very exciting reading going on in the house lately. Zoe has learned to read! Well, it may not be the "traditional" kind of reading that we know and love, but to her there is no difference. She has been reading to anyone that will listen including Spencer the dog who is actually a very good listener. Her favorite books lately are The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy by Jane O'Conner, and Alice the Fairy by David Shannon. But even when you can read, you still LOVE it when someone reads to you. Thank goodness for sweet big brothers!

Well, snow is falling in Fairbanks as I blog.....or is that rain???? As you can see by David's message he is really feeling fed up with the snow and I had to clear our project table and move everything back into the shed again. Will spring time ever come?

Warm Days

2008-04-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had some great warm weather here in Fairbanks. Temperatures reached 60 degrees both days so it was perfect for outdoor fun and spring projects. Here in Alaska if the temperature is above 50 degrees we consider that "t-shirt" weather"! In the picture below the boys actually have jackets on, but that didn't last long. They ended up on the ground after the fun started. Usually the snow around this area is not great for packing into snowballs, but with warmer temperatures melting the snow just a little it makes it ideal! Jake's friend Tane joined the fun as they created a zany alien snowman. They also entertained themselves by building a snow fort and then David joined them for a snowball fight, with a little help from Spencer our dog. Spencer didn't like the idea of throwing snowballs, so he just attached with his paws and was able to take down much of the fort.....the boys retaliation........"guess we'll have to build another one". Nothing can break your spirit on such a BEAUTIFUL day!
I was able to work on refinishing some cabinets. A friend was getting new ones in her kitchen, so she gave the old ones to us. I hope to use them in my laundry room for extra storage! Although stripping and painting cabinets is no picnic, it does make me feel good to be able to refuse items that others have discarded! David also hung one in his shed so that he could organize his tools a little better....aaaaahhhh the joys of Spring.

Game Night::Games we heart

2008-04-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

I grew up in a house full of relatives who loved to play games. The card game that I remember them playing most was called "pitch", it involved bidding, catching tricks and calling the suit. I recall my aunt Naydine saying, "Are we going to eat, or play cards?" She was a pretty serious card player. My mom once told me that she wouldn't play with my Papa because he was too lucky. Later my cousin Jean introduced Canasta and that became the favorite card game. Just about every holiday at my house centered around cards, games, and of course food!

Well, needless to say, I LOVE games and I am quickly passing my love of games along to my children. At least once a week we try and have an official "game night" where everyone in the family gets to choose a game to play. For most birthdays I make sure the kids get a new game for us to try out and I thought I would share some of our favorites here.

Zoe's chosen game is called Hiss. This is a prize "card game" because the kids don't have to hold the cards in their hands, you know how frustrating it can be for little ones. The object of the game is to create snake according to their color and orientation on the card. A terrific spacial game, since you have to place your card so that it matches up with the rest of the snake! Every player adds their "puzzle" piece until each snake has a head and a tail.

Another favorite it Don't Make Me Laugh Jr. We played this game at our friend Deb's house and of course it was SO much fun we just had to have it! This is one of those "great for all ages" games. There is no real strategy to this game and pretty much everyone wins.....'cause you're all laughing! During Ben's turn he was asked to act like a fairy godmother, Ben raised his invisible magic wand and said, "Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo turn this box into a fox." This game lets you run WILD with your imagination. Board game, Ha Ha Ho Ho cards, dice, clown nose, game pieces included, but you must add your own giggles!

An oldie but goody around our house is Stratego. This is of course a great strategy and for younger kids who aren't sure if it is a general, or miner they can use the numbers instead. Of course it is best to play while you are wearing a crown and your sister is serenading you with a tune on the recorder!
Here is a list of other games on our shelf
Qwirkle
The aMAZEing Labyrinth
Labyrinth
Rumis
Alaska Monopoly
Uno Attack
Rat-a-tat-cat
Quoridor
Twister
4 Way Count Down

And of course you don't have to play the games by the "rules". Below Jake, Ben, and Zoe have made a maze with the pieces of Quoridor. The object of "their game" try to get your knight out of the trap. Don't you just LOVE games, I learn something new every time I play. So tell me, what's your favorite game?

Soccer Champions::Winter Fun

2008-04-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

Well, it was another winning season for Jake, for those of you who might not have kept up with us during the summer, Jake's football team the Saints went undefeated and won the rookie Championship. Not only did his indoor soccer team have a undefeated season, they also won the soccer tournament this past weekend! There was a conversation after the games on Saturday that assured me that Jake understands winning isn't everything. David, "Well Jake what if your team had lost or you play for a team that loses next time." Jake, "It still would have been fun and I learned a lot." Jake's skills did improve greatly during the time that he played, but he is still choosing to play football again this summer instead of outdoor soccer.

Monday morning we woke up to 6 inches of new snow....ugh...and we thought spring was just around the corner. That evening after dinner David took the boys outside for a much needed, and equally exciting romp in the snow. Even Spencer got into the action, although Zoe decided she would stay indoors.

Yes those are icicles "stabbing" Jake...YIKES!

As for me, I was at my last knitting class, (boo, hoo) working on the "finishing" for Zoe's sweater....stay tuned for some photo's of the "premier" sweater, coming to a blog near you soon!"Come on out and join the fun, so I can deck ya with a snowball"

Gigantic Ginger Cookies, books, and some journaling

2008-04-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

We all just love ginger cookies, but the ones in the store always seem to be hard instead of nice and moist like ours turned out, using Martha's recipe. Who can resist curling up with a good book and a cup-o-joe when you have a scrumptious cookie in your reach! Also outside the snow just continues to fall, now all we need is a nice warm wood stove!

On another note, the kids painted some very colorful and detailed pictures to put into our garden journal.

Ben included brussels sprouts his favorite veggie, don't ask me how I got him to LOVE them, I just introduced them thinking I would get the standard, "Yuck, these are gross." But instead they are his favorite, steamed. I tried to dress them up with bacon, and butter and he said, " No thanks, I just want them steamed." The kids asked if I would make a cover for our journal, Zoe decided she would illustrate the back and Grandpa sent more flower stickers, just in time to make the journal complete!

Last night Jake found our sunflowers drooping, so we gave them a drink and set them in the laundry room to keep them warm over night and presto this morning they are reaching for the sky again!

Birdhouse break-in and other crimes....

2008-04-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

Yes it seems we are having a crime spree here at the Foshee household. A few days ago we discovered that someone had broken the front off the birdhouse and although we have some VERY large crows in the area, I am pretty sure they aren't the culprits.

The unlawful acts don't end there. One of the favorite red cowboy dress-up boots was found tattered along with Zoe's bike helmet, chewed into pieces.
The final straw came when I found some of my yarn scattered on the floor, and it was in my knitting bag!!!! Now who was able to get in there?????? I have a sneaky suspicion about this bandit, since most of the items had teeth marks, and there were distinctive black hairs near all of the crime scenes.
I conclude that it is one spoiled puppy names Spencer. I guess we'll just have to take him back to Golden Retriever Rescue.......but I don't think I will be able to convince the kids. They just love him too much, and after all they are the ones who paid for him with their Christmas money. Guess we'll be making another trip to Cold Spot for some more pigs ear bones. That may or may not stop the offender, but what else can you do?

Soccer::Swimming::Knitting

2008-04-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

Let's just say that our Spring has gotten pretty busy. Jake's soccer team decided to enter a single elimination tournament this week so he has games Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and they will play on Saturday for the championship if they win all of their games during the week. His team the Silver Surfers, won all of their regular season games and they won their first game of the tournament last night.....but it was a nail biter....2-0.
Ben is taking swimming lessons at the Alaska Club and learning to put his face in, jump off the diving board, and float on his back. He is a little more shy when it comes to being in the water, so we thought it might be a good idea to take a few lessons before we head to Oklahoma this summer to visit family....where we will probably LIVE in the pool at Granny and Grandpa's. Sorry I don't have any pictures of Ben swimming, our camera doesn't take great shots indoors where there are high ceilings.

And finally, my new obsessing...knitting. Yes, to all those friends who tried so patiently to teach me to knit, I was finally able to take a class and I am making a sweater for Zoe. After my first class she wanted to know if it was finished....two months later she is patiently waiting for me to get it off my needles. Like with any new knowledge, there is a great new website, Ravelry that I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. You can make friends, view pictures of other peoples finished projects, and queue things that you just can't wait to knit in the future. I joined a group called the Fairbanks Fiber-ist, who meet up every Wednesday night at the Alaska Coffee Roasters for coffee, treats, dinner, and of course the latest knitting buzz. It has been a great way for me to meet friends and learn about knitting. Well here is a shot of the sweater, by the time I get it done it will be too warm to wear it.

Mary, Mary quite contrary, How does your garden grow?

2008-04-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

Well, ours is sprouting with sweet corn, carrots, beans, broccoli, tomatoes, eggplant, sweet peas, basil, pumpkins, peppers, radishes, brussels sprouts, zucchini, and some rapidly growing sunflowers! We put our seeds in the planters about three weeks ago and the kids excitedly check them every morning. At night we are adding a "blanket" of visqueen to keep them warm.

During the day the starts get some wonderful sun through the window, but as you can see in the previous picture the snow is still dusting our deck.....and I thought we were done with that.....guess Old Man winter is not done with us yet....April blizzards are "not uncommon" here in AK.

The kids are hoping to make a sunflower house like the one in our favorite gardening book, Roots Shoots Buckets & Boots, by Sharon Lovejoy. The books is filled with wonderful activities for kids, such as planting in fun containers like old boots, the book also includes information on composting, using herbs from the garden, and my favorite keeping a garden journal. Which Zoe, Ben, and I are making today!