Okay all you lower 48'ers. You're being a bit selfish and I'm asking you to share a little of the warmth with us Alaskans, please. We've only been to 70 degrees a couple of times...and unfortunately, May and June are typically our nicest months. I hope this doesn't mean that we don't get any summer. Please, Please...share! :-) See, we get way too much winter to have a year without summer. I don't think we could bear it if we can't get stocked up on our vitamin d. Then there's the problem with the garden...see, it won't grow without sunshine....even if we do have 24 hour daylight. When the daylight is behind clouds, it really doesn't help:-(

Okay, enough on that subject...All is well here. I do have a question or two to pose to you-all.

1. I would like to use less ziploc bags and more containers. But, I don't want the made in China cheap plastic containers, and I have very little money to spend. I've been saving jars from spaghetti sauce and other sauces. Have any of you ever wrapped a sandwich in waxed paper? Does it stay fresh? I do reuse bread bags from when I buy bread. I'm just looking for some cheap and creative alternatives.

2. Do any of you work from home? What do you do? I really don't want a sales job, but I'd love to do just about anything else. I waitress at a local cafe and have off and on for several years, when I'm needed. They are getting ready to relocate and it would be at least an hour drive for me. So, that won't work much longer. I love waitressing, but I have noticed such a decline in the number of customers..I assume because of the economy. I'm not making near the money I used to anyway. I do have a couple of side things that help. I am a raw milk coordinator for the area. What that means is that I pick up everyone's milk and earn mine for free. I also sell extra eggs so my chickens can pretty much pay for themselves. I also have a small vitamin business, but I have such a hard time selling. I know how much the vitamins help me and I love to talk about it....but only if people show an interest. I also tell people how to find things for cheap or free so they dont' need me, really. LOL
I need to work for another year and a half at least. My husband has just switched careers and is now an apprentice. He will get out of his apprenticeship program and get almost an $8 raise a year from November. We just have to hang on that long. I'd love to revamp the Alaska Railroad apprenticeship program to something that's more workable...but they don't ask me:-)
I would love to hear what you do to help your budget. I have cut back in every way possible, so just saving won't do it. Really, Gene's wage is way low...we qualify for lots of public assistance but I'd rather work. Any suggestions would be fabulous! There are tons of work at home ideas online, but I don't have the time or money to weed through the scams. I just want to know of things that are tried and true.

THANKS for the input!

Tan

Today I'm taking Cam fishing! We're going to Big Lake/Fish Creek. The littles and I will play at the park some, too. I really have a hard time playing with my kids or taking the time to take them to do something they really enjoy. But I am willing to work on it. My reward was seeing Cam's face when I told him that we were going fishing today. It doesn't get any better than that. Guess I'd better work the horse, too since Meg is gone. I'm sure not very good at that. She's way more brave and skilled than me. I am looking forward to a horse that doesn't need worked or trained. Just an old plug who takes me on trails and back without any excitement.

I better go...need to make bread and jam before we go. Have a blessed day,

Tan

Yesterday, I called the guy we get our hay from to see how long it would be before the hay is ready. I admit, I had alterior motives. Since we can't afford hay this year, I was also calling to see if we could work off some of the hay. He was thrilled! He has some work needing done and would love to pay us in hay instead of wages. How do you like that? God's providing so I'm not worrying. Well, I'm trying not to worry.
We also have to come up with an extra $1100 in July. Since we barely have enough every month, I was pretty worried how that was going to happen. Gene and I worked on the budget and made a little room but certainly not that much. The good news is that we have already gotten $300 saved up by selling some things we didn't need anyway. We'll get my in-laws paid off in plenty of time. What a relief since this has been a real thorn in their side for the last couple of months.

Cheesemaking was really fun. Oneida and Pam were our instructors and they are a real hoot. We made cheddar, mozzarella, and cottage cheeses. It really seems pretty easy. And it is SO GOOD! And I have some whey in the freezer for bread!

I miss Meg and Dusty already. They are biking the Denali Hwy. They left last night and won't be back until Thursday. I hope they truly have so much fun! Letting go takes a conscious effort for sure.

Oh, there is one more new thing. The foster kids are leaving around the first of August. It will be hard, but I do think it is best for them. It sounds like they are going to a real neat family. We are all in agreement that we want to see them go somewhere safe where they will thrive, and that we are ready to let them go. It will sure be strange not having them around. They will be missed!

Today, Cam and I and the littles go get milk, make stuff with the rhubarb and whey, and clean house. Oh, and work this afternoon and evening.

Hope you have a blessed day,

Tan

Today I am hosting a cheese making class for the ladies in my milk co-op. My friend Pam will be instructing us on the finer points of cheese making. She said we will make Colby, Cheddar, Mozarella, and Cottage cheeses. Sound wonderful? It really should be so fun.

The rhubarb is ready for its first picking! Any recipe ideas? I've heard that rhubarb juice is wonderful so we will try some. If we like it, I'll make some concentrate and freeze it up. Then we can have a taste of summer during the dark days of winter!

My goodness, I had a mountain of laundry to do this weekend. I'm so thankful to have it about wrapped up. Should finish it up this evening after the cheese class. Then, the house is in pretty good order. I'll start on the kitchen cabinets next:-)

And my dear man and Cam started a new raspberry patch. My goodness, it looks great! We have 46 new red raspberries, and 23 goldens. Apparently we could have had more red ones from our little patch and my neighbor gave us the goldens and said she has more, too. We'll be raspberry wealthy! I'm sure the moose will love the new bushes!

Think that's about it. I'm going to go do my bible study. God has just been so gracious to us. I want to get my walk squared away this week. Friday and Saturday were some of the worst days we've endured in a very long time. But the good news is that we were able to look to God and see Him working all through the day.

Have a super blessed day.

Tan

I am just so thankful and thrilled with what's new around here. God is just taking such good care of us in such a personal way this last couple of months.

First of all, when I killed all of the plants we had been nurturing inside to prepare for the garden, God provided the funds to buy new plants. That certainly helped me to keep my eyes on Him. I was so sad at our loss...the fuschia I had wintered over that was blooming so beautifully, blooming tomato plants, Cam's huge corn and green beans which were also blooming...and more. But, the reality is, we had to rely on God to replace the plants for our winter's store..and He did! Everything in the garden looks great and it's all coming up well.

Then, we needed to purchase greenhouse plastic, Gene was offered some overtime. The OT he worked was just enough to buy all we needed for the greenhouse, inside and out. Perfect!

There have been so many other ways, too. It is so amazing how God works so individually in our lives. Homeschool curriculum, berry plants, gas for my car...it's all being provided as we need it.

****By the way, remember how I said I needed shelves for the utility room to finish up in there? I was able to move things around and empty a cabinet which was moved in there....AND, Dusty has some leftover wood that he doesn't need that he said he would turn into shelves. I'm overwhelmed.

So, I'm not going to worry about the extra $1100 that we need for July to pay back a loan from Gene's parents. We're going to work hard and rely on God to provide what we need.

Keep looking up!

Tan

Okay, on my last post, one of the things I said I would do is to completely clean the utility room. Well, I'm finally finished. Granted, there are a couple of things that still need to be done but they are not the things I've been proscratinating on for so long.

See, I am a master procrastinator. The things I have been avoiding are cleaning out my cabinets and organizing the countertop. I made a vow to myself  not to blog until I had it done. That way, I knew I couldn't put it off forever.

Ahh, it worked!

It is done! I still need to buy shelves to put on the wall to put the big things like the crock pots, pasta maker, and extra milk jugs on. But I consider the utility room finished because the jobs that are left are fun and relatively simple.

Now, I want to put in 20 entries to catch up on all that's happened around here! Hope you like to listen because I love to talk!

Tan

Today,  I join a challenge.

Jeannie over at Honey Milk Heirlooms has posted a challenge that is not only going to be profitable, but inspirational, too. It is keeping a Proverbs 31 Heart. She said to choose 1 or 2 categories, but I am already working on 3 so I will post them all. This is just so exciting. These are areas I am working on, but I never thought to post it here for accountability. Maybe if I get really brave, I"ll post pictures of my progress:-)
Okay, here goes:

For My Lord: This one really speaks to my heart. We've just been surviving lately without any vision or direction from our Lord. All of us. I've been able to read my daily bible lately and it is overwhelming to me how humanity works, and it scares me because I'm just like them. In Joshua, the Israelites were victorius. They were listening to God and following Joshua's leadership whole heartedly. Then in Judges, they started going off on their own. It says several times that they did what was right in their own eyes. Boy, that's me. So, I plan to keep reading and praying for wisdom. Looking to the Lord for my answers instead of my own notions.

Managing the Cleaning: I have 2 areas for this. First of all, I am committed to cleaning thoroughly the laundry room. This involves putting our heavy snow stuff in the crawl space and cleaning out the cupboards. I have some old canned goods that I need to feed to the pigs and make space for new this year. Everything will fit in there, but I have to use my space wisely. It will most likely be Saturday night before I'm through, but I know I can do it!
The second area is outside. There is so much to do out there, but if I can just get the strawberry beds cleaned up and the wildflower patch ready, I will be content this week. I think I can...I think I can...I think I can:-)

For the Family: We have decided to implement "date night" with each of our kids. One day per week, we take one of them aside for something special. They get to choose who they want to be with, either their dad or me, and they get to choose what we do. It can't cost much and needs to be somewhat close to home. We start with Meg this week. We'll see what she has planned! What I haven't told them is that while she is gone, we're going to do something special for her here. If she chooses to go with me, Gene and the boys are going to work on her horse trailer to continue fixing it up. If she goes with her dad, then the boys and I will snazz up her room. Should be a blessing to her. Weekly, this is what we will do with each of the kids. Then the 4th week, Gene and I get a turn.

Are you ready for a challenge? Link over here to check out Jeannie's blog and join in!
http://homesteadblogger.com/GypsyFarmGirl

Have a blessed day,

Tan

I am a waitress for a local cafe and our black beans are so so yummy:-) I would love to share the recipe for our black beans. You can eat rice and beans at the cafe for $5.00. It is super nutritious and so filling. Not often you can get fast food that is this good for you and so cheap and quick.

16 C. dried black beans

1/2 C. cumin

1/2 C. salt

1/2 C. garlic

6-10 quarts water.

Start with 6 quarts water and boil 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until beans are tender. Slowly add water as needed.

Simple, good for you, and so tasty!

Of course, this is a huge batch, which you can can in pint or quart jars for later use.

Have a super day,

Tan

Okay, so I have some questions.

Do any of you pack lunches for your husbands...and what do you send? In the past it's usually been a sandwich, a fruit, a veggie, chips, and 2 sweets. Usually one homemade and one pack of graham crackers. I would really like to get rid of the chips, and get more ideas for his sweets. For one, it's expensive. And, I would love to send him all homemade goodies...more healthy ones. He works hard and is so skinny...he has a majorly fast metabolism so I have to pack his lunchbox pretty full.

Also, I am planting my garden and I'm looking for creative ideas. This may sound crazy, but I'm not sure what to plant. When we lived in Oregon, my husband was foreman for a farm and we were able to pick and process tons of produce. Up here in Alaska, alot of the things we used to be able to grow are not possible. So things like peaches, apples, and corn are no longer a possiblity. So, I'm still going with tomatoes (grown in the greenhouse), green beans, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower. I can fill my freezer and canning jars with all this, but it seems like I should do more. Of course, we're growing lettuce but you can't preserve that. Anything I may be missing? I'd love to just pack the pantry full this fall.

Also, I'm reading the book Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman by Anne Ortlund. How inspiring. Her suggestion to put God first, then believers (my family first, then others), then to reach out to unbelievers has been so freeing. I always feel like I should be concentrating on the lost...even at the detriment of the believers in my life. Of course, it makes perfect sense to make sure my walk with God is right on, then take care of my relationships with my fellow believers before I go work with the lost. What was I thinking? Ahhh, I love to learn and grow. I am so thankful for grace in abundance.

Today, we must be productive. I have a long list, but I know we can do it!

1. Bake something for lunches/snack----any suggestions?
2. Bake Bread
3. Organize Foster kids' clothes again
4. Put all our extreme winter clothes in the crawl space
5. Catch up on laundry
6. Pick up co-op milk and go to work
7. Really, really encourage my kiddos in school.

My kids also have a long list. It will be a busy day, but a good one. We must stay busy to stay caught up. Our social worker is coming out tomorrow. What a neat gal. She is full of good information, which I appreciate so much. Foster parenting is always an adventure!

Okay, I'm off to read my bible and get things straight with the Lord. Have a blessed day, my friends. Cling to the Lord today.

In Christ,

Tan

Good Morning. I'm back again. Mercy, where does time go? We've had every illness imaginable it seems this spring. But the weather is warming up and we're outside all the time these days. I think we'll make it now. We've been sick for more than 2 months!

I've been reading up on square foot gardening. I think we may try it out in the greenhouse. I will try to draw out a grid today and see what I can figure out in there. We have such little space and want to do so much with it...Anyone have any suggestions?

School is plugging along. We're trying to stay on track. It is hard with spring fever so prevalent in the house!

We've been continuing on the book of Joshua. It is so inspiring, the faith and trust the israelites showed in their leader, and their God. Then in my daily reading, I just finished Judges. Wow, what a contrast. It is so sad. Makes me really want to look hard at my life. It says over and over that the people didn't have a judge so they did what was right in their eyes. Lord, please don't let me do such a thing. I know I do some, and I really want to do what is right in God's eyes, not my own.

The pigs are growing. We'll get the chicks soon, I think. Layers and butcher chicks. It'll be great having chicken in the freezer. I am already praying Gene will get a moose this year.

Oh, did I mention that we're getting a couple of milk cows in the fall? Yep, we're going to be selling milk shares of our own soon. As long as we can find a place to keep the hay and pay for the silly cows. Seems there's always something...

That's about it I reckon. I'll try to get to the window story soon. I sure did get alot of messages about the homesteading stories. I'll try to keep up with them more now that we're all well.

Have a blessed day in the Lord. I encourage you to try to do things right in His sight, not your own. That's my goal this week.

Thank you, Lord, for Your grace. Thank You for not giving up on me. Amen.

In Christ,

Tan

I have been looking for something to spice up our learning in the OT. God has heard my prayers and has blessed this tired old mom who is suffering from the WORST case of spring fever.

Amy Pak has an OT downloadable lapbook that looks way too fun. I just can't wait to get the email saying my payment has gone through so I can download it. I think my kids will love something refreshing and new, too.

Right now we are studying Joshua with a chapter a day. I found study sheets from gospelway.com that have been very informative. I just feel so blessed to know that the creator of the Universe heard my prayers for my little family and is helping me to finish our school year with some enthusiasm.

What else is going on around here? Not much. The horse trainer can't come today because it is just way too muddy. I think Meg and I will hook the trailer up to our old truck today and practice loading and unloading Sarg. He does pretty good, but he's not had to stay in the trailer for any time before, just get in...travel...get out. I think we'll start working on him just hanging out in the trailer awhile as he'll have to do that sometimes, too.

Dusty still hasn't gotten his guitar. Hopefully today...Who would have thought that I'd have to pay $50 for shipping for something that didn't arrive for over 2 weeks. Rediculous, I think. We'll start tracking today.

Cam has been outside with his metal detector finding all sorts of treasures that have been buried in the snow all winter. So far, he's found  fifty cents and lots of nails. He was calculating yesterday how much he'd have by the end of summer if he found fifty cents per day:-)

It's been so sunny and warm here. I've been drying things out on the line. How wonderful! I have to go out there in my boots because it is so muddy outside but I'll not complain. Spring is finally here.

Guess that's it. Hope you-all are well.

God Bless,

Tan

This morning while I was making breakfast, I was thinking over my weekend and was sweetly reminded by my God that He loves me. See, my house is out of control messy. We have clutter everywhere. I have been having convictions about the messiness because my dear husband built us this house with his own two hands. He loves a neat house and does occasionally get frustrated by the mess.
Friday, my daughter and I went to an overnight birthday party for a friend. The other mother/daughter group there happened to be a lady who loves to minister to moms who desire to neaten up. Now, Annie did not lecture, or even bring it up herself. I asked her when we ran to her house to pick up something she had forgotten for the party. When I saw her house, which was neat as a pin, I asked her if it came naturally. She said she did it partly because she enjoyed it and partly because it made things run so much more smoothly.
Anyway, back to my point. When I went to her house, I was inspired. Now, I know that by having such a messy house is sin because of all of the consequences to it. When someone is coming over, we have to spend literally hours preparing. It is so stressful. And things get lost and broken because they are left laying around. Laundry is always somewhere besides the dresser, etc. Besides the conviction that this is really part of my job and I'm disappointing my husband by keeping it so very badly.
My dear God, instead of bopping me upside the head with some tragedy because of the mess, brought me Annie and so sweetly and gently inspired me. He took my by the hand and led me to someone who would encourage me and love me for who I am.
I am so humbled and grateful. You truly are amazing, God.
Thank you,

Tandy Sue

Good grief, I still have the flu. I've had this thing for 3 weeks. It's all digestion related. Oh well. I'll go get milk tomorrow and make yogurt. I'll try to get bread made today before we leave and we got our produce box yesterday. This week, it's about good decisions.
Meg has ice skating today and she finds out if she gets to be in the spring ice show. She really wants to be. She has worked so hard. She's moved up 3 levels in the last quarter. I get to watch her skate today. I'm so proud of all the work she has put into this.
Dusty has guitar with Josh today, too. He is hoping to work on the song that he and Meg are doing for the talent show at church. They are dedicating it to their dad. I promised them I wouldn't cry when they are up on stage:-)
Cam also has a plan for the talent show. He's making waffles. I simply adore my little guy's heart. He has such a simple and sweet outlook on life. He figures most people don't know how to make waffles like his grandpa so he's going to show them.
Foster kids both are coming down with something. I hope it's not our nasty flu. Apparently they are going to be having phone calls with their mom every week. We are jumping right into it....the social worker says 3x/week. That seems like a bit much but we'll try it out.
I'm so excited for tomorrow...the kids and I are going to plant the rest of our garden inside while the little ones sleep. It will feel so good to get my fingers in some dirt. We are supposedly in break-up, but we're also supposed to get 7" of snow today....WINTER---GO AWAY!
I"m reading 1 Samuel right now. Have you ever wondered what you would have said to Hannah if you were her friend and found out she was finally expecting? I think I would have advised her against giving her son she had waited so long for. Especially understanding how Eli's sons were. He was obvoiusly not a great parent. But God had another plan. And Hannah chose to listen to Him.
That has spoken volumes to me this week. Who am I listening to, and what kind of advice am I giving my friends. Hmmm.
Thank you God, ever so much, for Grace.
Have a super day,
Tan

This time it's been 2 months. We now have a family of 7! We have 2 foster kids, Aiden and Chantrell. They are full blooded Eskimo and are 3 and 2. When they came to live with us, they only spoke Yupik. They're very bright and are learning English.

My mom and dad moved. Sounds like Dad will be back in a little over a month. I'm so excited to see him.

Also, I got a dishwasher AND a new stove. ALL the burners work on the new stove and the oven holds a good temperature! What a blessing!

Meg is doing well, we just got all the horse stuff planned at the 4-H meeting this morning. Dusty is still building a guitar, and Cam will be getting his puppy before long.

I think we're going to be getting our own cows for milk, and to sell our shares. 

My family just came home...guess I'll get back to work.

Thanks for listening,

Tan

Okay, we're back! In some regards, it is hard to believe it has been a month. At the same time, it seems like forever ago that Gene left and the Hansen boys came to stay with us. Now the boys are back at their home, and Gene's back at ours!

One big change that took place during our month of craziness, is that we started a milk co-op with a local farm. It is doing very well. It is sure fun to learn with these ladies. I've started a newsletter that is full of recipes and encouragement. I hope the ladies are blessed by it. It's been fun to make. The most fun aspect of the whole thing is that we will all be contributing to it. So we will each be learning.
If you are interested in the newsletter, please send me your email address and I'd be happy to oblige. The more the merrier!

Another change: Gene is teaching the boys science class. Because I will be working away from home Tuesdays and Thursdays (Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that change?), he said he would like to help out. I suggested science with the boys since he enjoys their curriculum so much and he said he'd do it! Praise God, I'm so thankful to have a guy who is so wonderful and helpful.

So, there's more...My parents sold their house and my mom will be heading back to Oregon soon. But apparently, my dad will be staying with us! We're so excited to keep dad, but we'll surely miss mom like crazy. Dad will stay until the AlCan is better to drive then head south for awhile. But he says he plans to spend summers up here. How fun to get to keep him around.

Also, my very best friend up here, Sandra, is moving back to Kentucky. Why? ((Big sigh))

I kow there is more. I'm just drawing a blank. We should be back on schedule. And thank you, all, for the messages wanting more information on our homestead process. I'll talk about my windows very soon!

In Christ,

Tan

Okay, since I posted this morning about the beginnings of our homestead adventure, it has set me to thinking about when we started all this. There is one more story I want to share today. There are actually 2, but I will keep it to 1 right now.

This one is about foundations. When my husband started building the house, we built it on pilings ( think that's what you call it...kindof like stilts). The goal was to pour the foundation later that summer and set the house down on the foundation before it got too far. Cement is expensive and we had to earn a little more before we could afford it. Well, the house ended up roughed in and we were living in it and no foundation. That winter we had a huge windstorm. When you hear about Alaska, you hear about the snow, cold, and dangerous animals...no-one ever mentions wind storms-why not? We get hurricane force winds up here. Anyway, we had a big windstorm. We were a bit concerned about the house as it didn't have a firm foundation to cling to.

Okay, now I have to give you some quick background. My husband and I were married and had kids before we became believers. See, we started our marriage without a foundation, too. And when the storms of life came, we realized we were nothing without Christ. I had heard the bible stories about the man that built his house on the sand vs the man who built his house on the rock and even sung the song with my kids. It had never quite hit home until that windstorm and I thought of our house being built without foundation. I realized just how precarious it can be! It was downright dangerous and scary. 

Our whole process has been like that. A house building journey is a faith building journey for sure. I hope this has, again, inspired you to stay in the center of His will and He will work out the details.

By the way, we do now have a foundation. We also have power, DSL, every imaginable convenience except a dishwasher--automatic one, I mean!

Wanna hear about our windows?

This is funny! I was writing about how hard it was living without electricity and how much better it is now. Nice long blog with lots of details. I was about halfway done and the power went out. At least the generator was consistent and I was in charge of when it went off and on:-)

I'm not in the mood to write all that again so I'm going to sum it up. I will write in detail how we went about homesteading gradually, but I want to give an overview today.

We bought our place with nothing on it but lots of trees and mosquitoes. From that, God has provided and we have a house and barn and lots of critters. It has taken time and lots of negotiation.

I didn't ever want to live without power or water, and even made my husband promise me that he would never ask it of me before we married. I was raised without power and had decided it was probably the worst thing ever! God is the master of attitude adjustments and I am so thankful to Him for working in my life.

One thing we did, was to buy bare land and finance it with the landowner. That is still done, even this day and age. Then we bought rough cut lumber from the local saw mill and did the interior in log from trees from our place. I have pictures of that first summer...everyone peeling and peeling logs, and setting them in place.

One thing that is true to homesteading, is that we had animals before we had a place for them. A friend called and said she knew of a baby cow that needed a home. I called my husband and begged. We cut down a couple of trees, cut that into lengths and nailed it to other trees for a pen. Then we cut 4 trees that were in the middle of the pen down and left tall stumps...about 5 feet in the back and 8 feet in front. Covered that with a tarp and Viola! Mocha had a pen and a barn.

Since starting, we have refined things alot. Our house is now properly insulated and sided. We have real floors, not OSB. Someday, I even hope to have porches and a dishwasher...maybe we'd better not get carried away:-) We even have a real barn---log of course!

The point of all this is that I know that if you are teetering on the edge of starting a project like this it can be scary. Come October of that first year here, we still didn't have our  house insulated. Did I mention that we live in Alaska?? I have never known cold until that winter. But it was okay. Boy did we grow as a family. No light and not enough heat forces a family to work together. I would get the lantern in the evenings and read to everyone as we would snuggle on the couch. It sounds wonderful now, but it was the hardest time of my life.

I want to share one funny story. (I can laugh now...not so funny then!) My son, daughter, and husband all got the stomach flu. It was winter, of course..20 below to be precise. The kids had the pukies, but my dear husband had the other end. He would sit out in the outhouse until he couldn't feel his legs anymore then come back in to warm up. It was miserable. We ran out of water so I was stuck. I started melting snow to clean up after them. We ran out of clean towels, paper towels, everything. It was the middle of the night. Finally, around 4 am, things started to settle down. Everyone was through the worst and had gone to sleep. I was wiped out from caring for all of them and trying to clean up after all the ick. I was loading up the woodstove so I could try to get some sleep, too. A spark shot out of the stove and got me. I swatted at it and didnt' think much about it until I smelled burning hair. I turned to sniff my hair and it was ON FIRE! Yeah, I had used hairspray the day before. I was fine, it was not that big a deal, and you couldn't even see the damage the next day...but you could smell it! I can only imagine what they thought at the laundromat the next day when I went in to fill my water jugs. I smelled like icky flu and burned hair! When my healthy son woke up the next morning, he asked what smelled so bad. He had slept through the whole thing....the flu, hair on fire, everything!

Homesteading isn't so bad, but I never cut it that close with water again. And I went and bought more towels.

Maybe I will spend Wednesdays writing about our process from start to now. We have learned alot. Hope it can encourage you.

Thanks for reading.

In Christ,
Tan

A new foot of snow and no car. Hmmm, sounds like we can have some fun and spend NO money. Because of the snow dump and my husband's commute, he needed my 4X4 to get to work. That means we stay  home. We only went out one day last week, and that was to our little town  for Awana. Spent $28 at the grocery store and came home. The new snow gave us plenty to do, shoveling and playing!

So, staying home is the best way by far to save money. I also make lists and try to stick with them. It was funny yesterday, I had my list and was following it faithfully. But, I remembered as I was in the paper goods part of the store that there was something I remembered that I needed to put on my list from this section...but what was it?? I even asked my son if he had any ideas. He told me that I would remember as soon as we headed home. I did. ((sigh)). Brads for the lapbooks.

Just heard the weather for today...4 more inches of snow today, another few tonight. We'll probably be home the rest of the week! No complaints,and my bank balance doesn't move. Thanks, God.

Snow is such a fun diversion from real life. There are so many fun and free things to do in the snow. And it is great exercise! Any fun games to recommend? We just seem to sled, ski, and skate...oh, and shovel, shovel, shovel!

Have a super day, my new friends and old,

Tan

How many people are able to play golf in Alaska in the winter? We did! I have to share how it was done!

A wonderful gentleman in our church invited the Youth Group to his new golf course this weekend. So, despite the weather (17 below when we set out!) we went. I so wish I had brought my camera but since it was dark, I didn't think I would need one. I will go back for pictures.

This dear man plowed and shoveled the snow around his lake to make paths. Then he drilled holes in the ice, put plastic containers in the holes and filled around the plastic with water to get it good and snug. 18 holes! He lined the whole thing, paths and all, with Christmas Lights. Of course, we used yellow golf balls! He had a big fire pit on the ice at the entrance, and a skating rink in front of the golf course. Dear old Dirk could have charged for all of this, but he was all smiles just watching everyone. He says that is his pay. The youth had a blast. I guess I should say, this was part of our Amazing Race competition. Fun, Fun!

I'm not sure if I put this on the blog, but we are going through the process of becoming Foster Parents. We pretty much passed our home study, I think...except Megan's window. Because code changed after we built our house, the window was fine according to code...it was grandfathered in. But it isn't good enough for foster care. Our case worker is seeking a variance. Oh, I so hope! Otherwise we will be limited to boys. Don't get me wrong, my boys would be thrilled, but Meg really is hoping for a little sister, too. But, one thing I am thankful for is that God knows what is best. He is in control and will lead us accordingly.

This was my proverb for the day. It spurs me on to think hard. To really think, like I am teaching my kiddos to do.

Proverbs 3:13-15  Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains  understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Widsom is more precious than rubies;nothing you desire can compare with wisdom.

Oh yes, I am trying to teach my children to think deeply. It can be so hard since I don't naturally think deeply.  (Sigh) God is Glorious in His teachings. This was just what I needed to hear!

I hope you have a week of gaining knowledge. Become wiser through the Word. I'll be joining you!

In Christ,
Tan

What is the purpose of Vitamin D?
What does it do for the body?
What are the food sources for vitamin D?

I have wondered about Vitamin D recently because of my mood this time of year. Here in Alaska, there is always talk about the lack of sunlight in winter and the effect it has on us.

A summary of what I learned from a google search is this:

Vitamin D is important for several reasons. It is known for its aid in absorbing calcium but as a result of newer studies, it seems there is so much more it does for a body. It may also help decrease the risk of heart disease, and boost immune system function including fighting everything from the common cold to cancer. There even may be links to lowering blood pressure, preventing periodontal disease, help with symptoms of MS, lessen muscle aches and bone pain, and most interesting to me, depression.

It just makes sense to me. I don't claim to be a doctor or have all the information, but when you look at lifestyles today, it seems depression is directly linked to sunlight and possibly Vitamin D. As people move inside for work and we are warned to stay out of the sun, depression and dependence on anti-depressants is increasing. Also, originally being from Oregon, I know that several dreary days in a row can make me a bit blue. Then there are winters in Alaska. Old man winter tends to stick around way too long! We do get outside for chores, and to skate, sled and ski, but the vitamin content in the sun is just not enough.

I found it interesting to know that the only natural food sources of Vitamin D are fatty fish, liver, and egg yolk. I thought there was also natural vitamin d in raw milk, but I couldn't find a source that supported that idea.
The best source I could find for Vitamin D are cod liver oil first, then wild salmon. hmmm, maybe that helps explain the subsistance diet the natives lived on for so long!

The more I look into the human body and the way it works, the more amazed I am at our Creator. He didn't miss a thing. I am deeply thankful that God has given us the brain to learn more about how to equip these bodies of ours to live longer to glorify Him. Sometimes I wish for the energy to spread His Word 24/7.

My prayer for the day and the weekend is this:

Ps 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.

Tan