Great Giveaway!

Go check out this Giveaway Extravaganza of the Celtic Sea Salt Gift Package over at The Thrifty Mama. Talk about a great deal! I love this sea salt. Yes it is pricey but we actually use a little less and love the fact that we are getting all the minerals otherwise lost in processing!

And what to my wondering eyes should appear....

but a mama moose and her baby from last year!




Okay so I'm no poet but something caught my attention out the back door. I thought it was Lily but realized she was upstairs with the boys. Yes, Momma and toddler are munching away in my garden (a total of 40 or so feet from the house). Silly toddler had the nerve to walk right up into my raised bed gardens and eat the perenials plus the chickweed. But as Ian pointed out, why does it matter because it won't be my garden in the spring. I will miss seeing the mommas and babies that frequent our "yard" each winter but it will be refreshing to not have to worry about meeting up with moose. They are rather rude guests who will turn on you if they feel so inclined!

No photo Friday.... Indiana trip update!

Wow, is it Friday already? Talk about a whirlwind of a week. From the time our flight left on Monday night until we landed on Thursday, Chris and I were gone a total of 72 hours. During that time we had a 6 hour layover in Seattle because of the airport closure/delays at O'Hare, looked at 11 houses, went out shopping and to dinner, Chris met w/ his new "staff", and had appointments with the guidance counselors at two of the three schools.

We also put a bid in on a house and it was accepted... Since getting up Monday morning I've slept a total of 15 hours including be up for 40 hours straight. Yep, it was a crazy week! And satisfying... And I missed the boys something fierce!! All of this explain why there were no foto challenge pictures taken this week.

Chris did take a few of the house which I will post here.

Dontcha just love the master bathroom! I think the toilet is going to be changed out! I may like Harley's but the logo in my bathroom is just a bit too much.. ha ha

Now we are just waiting for all the paperwork. Which reminds me we need to contact our mortgage company.

If nothing happens we will close on February 1st, move in on the 2nd, and Chris will start work on the 3rd. We will leave here around the 20th of January and will drive down. A trip of covering 3714 miles! The house is a little smaller and has no family room but it does have a 2nd bathroom and a 2 car garage. The bedrooms are also much larger than our present rooms. All in all we are pretty excited!

Hmm, I guess I had really better close for now. My thoughts are becoming fuzzy and I'm no longer thinking very coherently... Plus I really want to spend some time with my kiddos! I really, really missed them this week! Oh they are funny! And so dear which reminds me. Do you know what we were greeted by when we got home at 2 o'clock in the morning today? A note on the door saying we goodnight, sweet dreams and I love you plus snacks on the dining room table and a fire in the woodstove! Sean bought cookies and containers at the school's Christmas bazaar with his own money and left us a loving note! Talk about a tender heart! It brought tears to my eyes! And to think he is a teenager! It does my heart good to still hear him call us Mommy and Daddy even at the age of 13!

Night all!!

Foto Friday: One feet, two feet, red feet, blue feet

One Feet, two feet, red feet, blue feet...

Ah feet, one has to love Dr. Suesss! I know its supposed to be one foot, two foot, etc but when the guys were little tots we always read it wrong... intentionally!! ha ha.. which left them correcting me and lots of laughter! Yes, I know exposing a little more sole! (sorry for the pun, I just crack myself up sometimes!! I admit it I'm weird... Yep, my son gives me the "look" all the time! but hey what can I say, it must be the company I keep ;)

Today we have limited feet because of those who would protest... HOwever we do have little feet and furry feet or maybe that should be medium feet and furry feet...




And here are the faces to go with the furry feet, big dog and little dog! Lily and Caleb. She is such a big brute looking thing, isn't she? And she isn't even full grown at 18 months! I guess that is what happens when your dad is a Newfoundland and your mom is a Malamute! And Caleb, well he is a little dog cocktail as my husband so profoundly puts it... Chris brought him home as a stray pup!


Come on over to Rebecca's to take a look at all the other feet and to be part of the challenge. Next week's challenge are EYES, the window to the soul! I love eyes!! As much as I love eyes I don't know if I will be able to participate as it will be a "fun" filled week for us. Late Monday night (early Tuesday morning, 0100 to be exact) we fly out of Fairbanks on our journey to Indiana. Chris and I are going house hunting, meeting w/ school counselors, and stopping by his new work place. We will be back Thursday night! Yes, truly a whirlwind trip but it will be fun! And talk about a blessing! We were able to get our plane tickets for $10 a piece, yes you read that correctly! Thank you Lord for mileage plans!

Oops gotta go! We are heading up to "TOWN" today to have the electrical looked at on the Pilot.

Have a great week!!

Multitude Monday

Sorry folks but there are so still no photos! I am truly amazed at what a (92)whirlwind weekend it was and (93)how peacefully it ended !!
94. My family is absolutely amazing!! The guys all pitched in and we got the
95. WHOLE house sorted, cleared, and cleaned by Saturday night. This involved cleaning out closets, bookcases, storage boxes, under bed storage and
96. moving too much stuff into the enclosed trailer.

We have taken so much stuff to town and (97) been able to pass on just as much! (98) God has truly blessed us with an abundance! Not just monetarily but love of family, friends, health, and the list goes on. (99-101)

102. Two interested buyers before the contract for the realtor goes into effect!
103. A realtor who will split his fee in half if one of our "contacts" purchase the house.
104. The reassurance of knowing that my hubby has a job in these uncertain times.
105. Knowing that even though it is a deployable position God will watch over us if we are apart!
106. Getting 2 airline tickets for $10 a piece!
107. The glow of short, fat candles!
108. An overabundance of candles...
109. Having friends and family with whom I can share our blessings! Both monetary and spiritual!
110. The faithfulness of our forefathers!
111. National missionaries who are willing to work diligent to spread the gospel in once hostile lands.
112. The willingness of those same missionaries to continue work as they see doors closing all around them again!
113. Cinnamon
114. organic oranges
115. freshly brewed coffee
116. heads bowed over school work in an attempt to work ahead
117. friends who I will dearly miss when we move in January!
118. knowing that one day I will be reunited with said friends. Not necessarily in our life time on earth but when we are united in Heaven with our Lord!!
119. the ability to live in a country where I am still free to worship the Lord out in the open...
120. where I can write freely about my Lord without fear of persecution.
121. being able to read the histories of those who have been persecuted for the Lord and the love that shines through their words!!

Periodic Hiatus

Well folks I just wanted to let you know I am going to be on and off for the next few weeks. We are working like crazy to get ready to put our house in Alaska on the market with a realtor. The goal is to have it listed by December 1st and someone in to take pictures for a virtual tour later in the week. Plus Chris and I are using our rewards miles to fly down and look at properties. At present we are considering buying but will see where the Lord leads us.

I am amazed at how much we have amassed while living here and even more amazed at how much is from Ohio. Things kept for "a later day", well they are going! We will be moving into a smaller house plus our "retirement" property has an even smaller house on it!! I've also learned while up here what crafts I really enjoy and am getting rid of many unfinished projects. In fact I unearthed material that is going to be used for matching kitchen towels and trivets/coasters. I am so bad about putting hot stuff directly on the counter or table top.. Hopefully these will help to break that habit!! Plus it is such a cool pattern that I am making some for Christmas presents... I had thought about making some to sell at the Christmas Bizarre but just don't know if it would be wise.. We shall see how much gets done this weekend!

Toodles, and I will keep you all posted! Sorry for no more photos at present. Decide to wait until my work is done! Hopefully there will be more Christmas presents posted soon!!

The completed kitchen!!

Yes, you see the completed kitchen!! LOL... I laugh because we always move when we finally get the kitchen "remodeled"!! And I mean always... We sold our 1st house 1 month after the kitchen was finished, moved out of base housing and they started the kitchen remodel the very next day, in Ohio Chris received word that he got a job up here a week after we finished the kitchen and now.... We got the kitchen finished 2 weeks before Chris was told he got the job in Indiana!! So this next time around its the first thing we are going to do!! ha ha!



If you look closely you will see the fabric found in my macro shots..

As the day progresses I will be posting more pictures of the house.. We took a ton of pictures of the interior to send out to interested parties so I decided I may as well add them here!!