Halloweenie

I'm not much of a Halloweenie. With all of the hoopla at work about Halloween I decided to allow my children to partake in the the receiving of candy. My son as Captain Hook and my daughter Abigail as Tinkerbell. We live in Alaska so it is a bit cold, she wore a t-shirt under her dress. I had so much fun fixing her hair and adorning it with fairie dust. Doesn't she look adorable? In the past, instead of participating in the halloween thing, we would attend the carnival at our Church. With this cold, I almost wish we had done that instead.

Afterwards we headed over to the hospital to check on my Uncle in the Intensive Care Unit. He has been in a coma for about a week and is not expected to recover. Our family is facing some major decisions in regards to his life and it will be a tough decision for his daughters to make. I only hope that when the decisions are made that the family will stick together.

In the Native communities, families stick together through thick and thin. My mother has a large family. Although she only had three children, the Aunts and Uncles are a plenty. Not to mention the many Cousins. It's always interesting to hear the conversations that are held within the circle. I remember when I was a young girl my cousin Michelle and I would sit and listen to the adults. Now our children are doing so. We never wanted to feel left out, always wanted to be included in the circle, the circle of women, the circle of sisters.

Sisterhood is a strong bond. I don't have a sister, only two brothers. It's not much fun to gossip with my brother. That's not how most men work I suppose...

Thirfted Treasure

I absolutely love this little sewing machine with a bobbin of thread. I found this at a thrift shop and when I got home to open up the little treasure box there was a little bobbin of thread (the top says cotton) wrapped up in little bubble wrap.

Making of Beds

(what a lovely room, I love this bed, picture found on the net...my dream room)

The Care And Making Of Beds

1) Air beds daily. It is best to remove all covers.

2) Turn mattress over often. Turn from end to end to prevent sinking in the center. Often brush off the dust.

3) Lay lower sheet in place, right side up. Tuck wide hem in at the head. Stretch smooth, and tuck tightly in at foot and sides.

4) Lay bolster in place, if one is used. Lay upper sheet right side facing down. Place wide hem at top, leaving enough to turn over. Tuck in at foot.

5) Place blankets not quite to top of sheet, tucking them carefully in at foot.

6) Spread counterpane smooth over all: and after shaking pillows, put them in place.



A pad cover is often laid over the mattress, before placing the sheets.



First of all, what is a bolster? Dictionary.com says it is a long narrow pillow or cushion. Couldn't they have just said that? :)~ Okay, this was written in 1914.



I don't have time to air my bed out daily. When I get home at the end of the day I just want to go to sleep. (I usually don't because I have insomnia...but the last thing on my mind is to air my bed out.)

Clean House

I have never really enjoyed housekeeping. I do, however, enjoy a clean home. I suppose that would be the fruits of my labor. Being a single parent of two lovely chilren, one in which is going through some terrible two's, I find that it's difficult to ensure that my house is spotless at all times. This perhaps will be a conquest that I shall seek through the years. I guess the first action would be to de-clutter. Hmmm, de-clutter...I was interested to find this word was not in the dictionary (at least not on dictionary.com). Which leads me to believe that being in the state of tidiness is unattainable. Is this possible? I hope not. I will make this one of my goals to reach before the year is up.

Here are some things that I need to de-clutter. (I will use this word because it should be in the dictionary.):

1) Childrens clothing

2)never ending paperwork

3)magazines

4)toys (never ending supply)

5)old shoes

6)unused household goods

7)hmmm, I'm sure there are more things that I have not listed....

It seems to me that whenever I have gotten rid of something, something else re-appears. I don't know, some lovely magic trick perhaps?

Then there is the two year old. She seems to pull things out of her hat...things that once were lost are now found. My house will never be in order. Perhaps it is unattainable....nah!

Birthday Treats!

23 October 1973

Since it's my birthday today I thought I'd post 33 things you may or may not know about me, inspired by the creative Lisa Congdon...(Thanks for the inspiration Lisa)

1. I love to laugh
2. I totally despise static electricity
3. I don't like anyone playing with my hair (see #2)
4. My favorite season is fall time (especially in Alaska)
5. I'm Inupiaq (eskimo), Swedish and Norwegian
6. I'm not good at public speaking
7. My favorite number is the number 7

8. I took German for two years in high school and don't remember one thing...my German teacher smoked pot with members of our hockey team
9. I get totally obsessed with shopping when I find a new hobby
10. Mac n' cheese is my favorite comfort food
11. I paid a friend a couple of dollars to change my grade from a C to a B in German class in high school. He was the teachers aid, probably a member of the hockey team....:)

12. Teaching children is not something I am comfortable with (I used to be a teachers helper for a 3rd grade girls Bible study, I felt obligated to do it and pressured...I wasn't happy)
13. I don't know how to change a flat tire
14. Lived in Kansas as a youngster while mother went to college and love the memories
15. I miss my twin brother terribly
16. My older brother spoils me and my children :)~
17. I played the violin in elementary school
18. I should have been born in the 1800s
19. I haven't gone to church in so long because I am uncomfortable, I am a minority and don't feel welcome
20. I'm not a morning person
21. I wish I could work from home, but wouldn't know where to start
22. The wind is comforting to me
23. I'm very sentimental
24. I love the color pink
25. Am desparate to track my Ancestry from Sweden and Norway
26. My kids and I spend a majority of my time at my mother's house
27. I was fearful of teen pregnancy and was scared to date in high school
28. I gag very easily
29. I love watching Martha Stewart
30. I'm not comfortable living near my nosey neighbors
31. I love the smell of fresh cut grass but despise yard work
32. I hate my feet
33. I still have a little fear of big dogs, when I was younger I was bit on the bum by a German Shepard

Sunday...

Well today was a nice day to rest.

Last night when I arrived at my house I found a nice surprise waiting for me on my porch. I found a vase filled with pretty pink carnations and a lovely birthday card from my co-workers. My birthday isn't until tomorrow but I thought it was a beautiful gesture.

I don't know how I feel about turning thirty something. I've already started pulling some awful greys.

Some things I wish I accomplished before turning thirty something:

1. Finish my college education (put on hold to work full time and raise two wonderful kids).
2. Travel a little.
3. Tone and firm my body (ugh, this will be a work in progress....).
4. the list will continue to grow...

I don't regret anything that has happened in my life. I only wish I would have been more cautious and thrift spendy with my money. My life as a single mother of Nate and Abby is wonderful. On one income, I managed to purchase a home for my family of three. It's not a terribly big house, but a house none the less. It is a two bedroom ranch style zero lot line. Meaning I have a common wall with another home owner. I don't know how I feel about it, but it's my first home. I've been living here for two years now and purchased this home before I adopted my daughter.

My neighbors are a young couple with one child. I haven't really spoken to them, nor have they spoken to me. I've waved a few times...that's about it. My other neighbor is a lady that lives with a friend. She is always working in her yard and she tends to be a bit nosey. Her yard is immaculate, which I only wish that I spent as much time in mine. With all of my other chores, it makes it difficult to focus on anything else. I guess I lack having a green thumb.

Time to sleep...

1 vs. 100

Last night I tuned in to watch 1 vs. 100 on NBC. It's quite interesting the logic behind this game and I am quite taken by the contestants and the MOB. One in particular, Ken Jennings, the brainiac guy who spent six months on Jeopardy winning 2.52 million dollars. Did he not win enough money he had to show up on another show? Or was he completely bored? Hmmm. Where do they get the other members of the MOB? I thought it funny when Ken actually got an answer wrong. I believe it was the question What color is the number one on the Roulette Wheel? Red, Black or Green?

If the contestant is smart they'll know when to quit. If not, they lose it all. I've seen both. Much like Deal or No Deal, I've seen contestants lose a huge amounts of money because they don't know when to quit or because of greed.

I went to the NBC website to see what the hype was all about. They actually have an online game (1 vs. 100) you can play. It's okay...nothing to write home about...(I guess interesting enough to blog). It's not something I'll get addicted to. I don't see this being a long term show, although I could be wrong.

Fraternal Twins

I feel that my world is spinning around and around. My current state of confusion span from lifelong experiences with family, friend, and foe. I feel happiness yet I harbor sadness. I have much to be grateful for and yet there is sorrow and despair. When I am happy I am not satisfied. There is something missing...

October 15th marks the 10th anniversary of my twin brothers demise. It seems like yesterday that we were once running around in the summer heat, causing trouble. Our birthday is on October 23rd and I find it difficult still to "celebrate" the day of our birth. Sometimes I feel obligated to celebrate my birthday, inside I feel like curling up and spending it asleep in my bed just so I won't feel what I am feeling inside. To mask the pain of losing my brother, with whom I shared the womb.

They say he pushed me out and six minutes later he arrived. Doctors didn't know mother was having twins but grandmother knew. She walked herself to the hospital in snow, full with twins.

I love and miss you dearly my twin.