Bantha for Father's Day

It's been sitting in our freezer for more than 3 months, a huge chunk of Musk Ox meat, or, as we like to call it, Bantha. Last night I pulled it out and told Alice we were having it for dinner today.

She, predictably, said over her dead body.

I said I'd cook it anyways.

In what can only be described as a sprinkling of pre-Father's Day magic, she relented instead of boxing my ears in (confession: my wife can beat me up). We were having Bantha for Father's Day!

Now how do we cook this thing?

The chunk of meat, by the way, was over a foot long, about 8 inches high and 3 inches wide, with only a small bone inside. It didn't fit in the Crock Pot, so I grabbed my trusty hunting knife (I don't hunt, but it's been lucky enough to cut up moose, caribou and musk ox so far) and sawed the meat in half, then dropped it on the skillet for some quick searing.

Photo found here

We have two windows in the house, and there is no direct airflow between the two. Within minutes, the trailer was filled with smoke and all the fire alarms were going off. Alice yelled at the kids to hit the ground, and Macy and Molly run to the furthest room (which, coincidentally, was the least ventilated) and drop down under blankets to avoid the smoke. I, of course, am enjoying the pandemonium that my bantha meat has caused and keep the meat on the skillet. It gets worse, and they all run outside, which lasts 10 seconds before the mosquitoes chase them back. No escape.

24 minutes of searing later (3 minutes each side of the two 4-sided blocks), I squeeze the chunks into the crock pot with water and the game mix and set it for 10 hour low. We let it cook for almost 24 hours.

By the time it was ready, we had been smelling delicious game for a whole day and were ready to dig in. The bantha had fallen off the bone and shredded perfectly like BBQ sandwhich meat. It ended up being a fantastic meal, coupled with baked potatoes and baked cabbage. Thora got a plateful of fat and meat, which, after looking at us worriedly a few times to make sure we weren't tricking her, disappeared instantly when Alice and I turned our backs.

The rest of Father's Day was awesome. Being in the Bush means you have nowhere to go, which can cause a panicked feeling a lot like claustrophobia, but also means you spend a lot of family time together. We played Legos, did magnet crafts, played 2 rounds of Disney Trivial Pursuit and Uno Moo, and a round of Mario Party 7.

The day was a pretty good reminder of why it rocks to be a Dad.

Alice won this awesome adoption shirt for Father's Day. You can get one here.

"Hey babe, do we have any Bantha left in the freezer?"

Recently, one of our students brought a duck to our door. I remember thinking how beautiful it's  feathers were. He held it out proudly and said, "This is for you. My dad shot it." Ummm woah. "Thanks! Seriously thank you but J. we have no idea how to make it edible. What can we pay you to do that part for us?" He said he didn't want anything and he'd bring it back when he was done. Less than 30 minutes later J. comes back covered in feathers with a perfectly edible duck! He wanted 3 pops from the school store in return. Joe bought him 12 and some candy. It was worth it. We got to use the crock pot we bought months ago (our original didn't make the move) for the first time. We made duck soup! Oh gosh. I have a really hard time eating meat in general, but if I see it in its whole animal form before I have to cook it there is no chance I will eat it... But I did eat the duck. I was so desperate for something other than beans and rice that I cooked it up and ate it without a second thought. It was soooo good! Far better than any store bought chicken or turkey. There is an abundance of duck in the village right now... hoping we can get our hands on another.

Just a few minutes ago Joe brought in a fish. He needed a plastic bag to keep it contained until it stopped flopping around. Someone brought us a fish and it wasn't dead yet! Oh it breaks my heart. I've got to toughen up.

The part that amazes me is that they are always sharing their food... even with us. There was 1 moose killed in the village this year. ONE! And wouldn't you know they brought a part of it to us? And we have musk ox in our freezer. (Ew. There is no way I am cooking that.) I'm pretty sure musk ox and the bantha from Star Wars are related.

Bantha photo found here

So we have had caribou jerky, jarred salmon, berries (jelly), duck, fish, moose, bear (just Joe), and musk ox. Actually... don't count the musk ox. I am pretty sure I will never cook it.

Joe's note -- it's going in the slow cooker tomorrow ;-)
Alice's note-- that's what you think. :P

Childhood joys

Source: facebook.com via Alice on Pinterest

Source: skinnyfit-thebestyou.tumblr.com via Alice on Pinterest

If it wasn't lava it was sharks! Who didn't do these things!?

Miniature Olympians

I am taking an apple tech college course (offered from the district so it was free! Woot Woot!). One of our projects was to make an iMovie... It's a bit dark because it was snowing and the green screen at the end is only there because it was required.

Me and Ms. M. took the preschoolers out on the new cross-country skis. The girls had a blast learning to ski and we had a blast watching them. Surprisingly there weren't many falls. These littles are going to be pros!

So what'd ya think? Have you made an iMovie before?

Aurora Borealis

Forecast: Auroral activity will be active. Weather permitting, active auroral displays will be visible overhead from Barrow to Anchorage and Juneau, and visible low on the horizon from King Salmon and Prince Rupert.

Forecaster Comments: Another solar event took place on the 13th. The effects from this event on the aurora could occur as early as 10 am GMT on the 15th in time for magnetic midnight in Alaska at 2am (AKDT) in the morning of the 15th. The best auroras will probably occur on the night of the 15/16. The effects of a large coronal hole will be seen in increased activity around the 17th

Information from above taken from this website.

It's moments like this that make me want to stay in Alaska.

Week in Fairbanks

Joe just posted on the adoption blog about our CRAZY week in Fairbanks for inservice. Head on over here to read. It was seriously the most exhausting week...like fall asleep at the computer while making an iMovie project exhausting. Now we are sick again. Surprise surprise! I intend to write about a few of the funnier things that happened while we were there, but I may never get around to it (sorry!). Here are some of my favorite photos from the week instead. Enjoy!

Pushing a cart over snow/ice and gravel is difficult. Therefore, there are carts littering every available space in the parking lots.

Waiting for Daddy during one of our quick guerilla shopping stops.

Fast food but we bring our own drinks

Fast food is a terrible idea when you don't touch the stuff for months at a time. Of course, we couldn't resist! We hit a McD too. We paid for it.

Tea Swap

Recently, I participated in a tea swap that Erin at My Beautiful Disaster put together. I received my tea package from Daisy at Pretty Green Tea right before we left for Fairbanks. It was such a great surprise to receive a package all the way from the UK in my little mail box! Daisy has an adorable blog with great photography and colorful outfits. I want Alaska to be warm enough now to wear pretty pastel dresses like this one! I adore that pink and blue together.

My package was quite beat up when it arrived (lots of packages come to our door like this... in fact all of our amazon boxes come ripped and open) but all was well with the tea bags and postcard inside the envelope. I am so excited to share these photos with you. Too bad you can only look at the tea... it was delicious.

It would appear someone in Anchorage taped up the bangs and bruises for me. The kids pulled the stamp off the package and played 'money' with it

The postcard was a wonderful surprise! The kids must have looked at the photo for hours.

I know what I want for my anniversary

I was going to say a new camera. (Mine broke which explains the lack of posts... also we have strep throat AGAIN! So we are sick and recovering once more.) But I changed my mind. Now I want Cello lessons... or piano. :) This video is so fun!

New page on adoption blog

Our adoption blog is coming along nicely... well the design is lacking but we will work on that over Christmas break. Anyone do blog design for cheap?!


We added a FUNdraising page to that blog. YAY! Go check it out and share it with your friends, fam, and strangers if you'd like ;)


Joy Transferred 

Photography ebook/shopping with purpose

I was over here reading about shopping with a purpose (as I have been for a while now... she has some FANTASTIC posts over there!) Todays post was about this family and I just couldn't help but share this photography ebook for sale on their blog. They are waiting on a referral from the Congo so go on over and check it out! Don't forget to enter to win on the myoverthinking blog!

New blog

http://joytransferred.blogspot.com/

That link will take you to our new adoption journal/blog. We'd be glad if you guys would also like to read that. We are VERY early in the adoption process but, if things move forward with the guys Joe mentions over there, they could move FAST!

Enjoy, friends

My Overthinking: Purposeful Giveaways

I found this blog through a blog and it was just what I needed. I love the idea of buying with a purpose. Me and Joe are often looking for shops/items/ideas for gifts for each other that serve a purpose. What this blog is doing is putting lots of wonderful shops/items/ideas all in one place for you. So hop on over and find yourself something for Christmas! DON'T FORGET to enter some of those giveaways while your at it ;) Click on the link below to read more

My Overthinking: Purposeful Giveaways: You know what has me thinking? Americans spend $450 billion a year every Christmas. $450 billion. That's a lot of money to spend on gif...

Wednesday's Confession

What do you do with a child who can't stand you? How do you encourage a naughty child to behave?

Every weekday morning, between 10 and 1, my life is filled with stress and frustration. Each school day I am crushed by my inadequacy. I have no idea what to do with this child. I have exhausted all options we have come up with except a baby gate. Even if that is legal and successful it only solves part of our problem.

Today was not unlike any other morning, she left the room numerous times again today. When coaxed back into the room she screams a long drawn out "NO!" at me, yells "ow!" if I touch her (that's new), and if I try to talk to her it's "stop it!" and those are just a few of her favorites. She doesn't hurt other children (although she isn't especially nice to them) and is eager to learn for a minute on a very good day. I'm told in the mornings she can't wait to get to school and play with her friends... it doesn't show once she's there! All this week she has been sent home early (not my choice) because I can't get control.

Today was the first time I heard the whispers. This particular child has 2 family members who work at the school. Today at lunch the grandmother started whispering to her daughter about me. It was loud in the gym so I'm sure they didn't think I would hear. As soon as I realized what was happening I focused my attention elsewhere. I don't want to hear it. Then, the Auntie of the child directed her words loudly in my direction, "Then just stop bringing her to school!" This is not what I desire and have said this many times to this family. Maybe that is what needs to happen though? I'm not sure. The poor child has a difficult life and she's not yet 3! Her mother is in Fairbanks "without a job to care for her," her grandmother is considering adopting her so she doesn't have to live with her "good for nothing father," and most of the adults in her life are alcoholics! My co-workers are sober enough during school hours, I believe, but I am not a good judge between sober and slightly intoxicated. I only know when they are super drunk... such as the time one called the house looking for her son. When I promised to help her while she confided in me she told me she loved me! *sigh* Obviously drunk. At least she is a silly drunk and not an angry drunk.

So maybe the child isn't naughty at all... maybe she is hurting. Most likely this is the case. Like I said, she isn't yet 3... there are no naughty children at that age. So what now? How do I fix this? What can I do to help her if, after 3 months, this is just getting worse? It has me thinking more about myself... as a person, mother, future adoptive parent. I am so completely inadequate. I. Can't. Do. This. But He can.

Handing it over to the Big Guy

Praying for His guidance

So the title says Wednesday's Confession but feeling inadequate wasn't the only confession.
Since I had had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (more happened I didn't post here) I convinced myself I deserved a treat. So I drank a sunkist. Then I found a box of HUGE eclairs in the kitchen. I hid in there and ate two of them.
I came back later and had two more!

Remember -always wear your helmet

Macy and Molly were in the room when I clicked on the video. They only caught the first part of the video but Macy walked away laughing like crazy and repeats, "HOLY COW! Chef!" Nice. I think I'm going to steal her word. *toe stub* holy cow! CHEF!

Update- So as soon as I posted this someone knocked on the door so I hopped up to answer it... too quickly. Wouldn't you know I stubbed my toe! It hurt so bad (it was the 'bad' toe/foot) but I couldn't stop laughing because I knew the next words out of my mouth had to be... Holy cow! CHEEEF!

If you don't love Raffi you're not human

I used to sing this often as a kid... and in fact I still do. I love love love Raffi! MUST get some Raffi for preschoolers!

Who would have guessed it?

I thought this was an adorable little girl dancing all care free and cute like kids do... woah! Watch that!



Who knew it was going to be a flashmod?! I LOVE watching flashmobs but this one totally surprised me. So it wasn't just a cute little girl dancing to the beat of her own drum? She has talent... trying to remember all those crazy moves... maybe she choreographed it herself LOL! Did it freak anyone else out when the cute little kids, hiding under the table, disappeared with the wall?

Happy day to ya!

It's official

Photo and story (the story was pretty neat click to read it)

I have been putting off this post for quite some time. It's hard to announce to your friends and family that you are MOVING BACK TO ALASKA! There I did it. Phew! I am sure most of you are curious as to where and why so here ya go...

Why are you going back?

Simple. God told us to. No he didn't appear in a dream or in the mirror, there were no sudden visions, or whispers in the ear. We simply read our Bibles and prayed. We believe that God was asking us to do something... expecting more out of us. So, we prayed about it. What did he want us to do? That's when the Alaska job became an option... then it was another school... another country... back to the first option... stalling... that became a no go but Joe was hired in anyway... FINALLY he was offered a principal/teacher job in Steven's Village. In between the 2 months of waiting and confusion we continued to pray that God would send us where he needed us most... where we could do the most good for Him. If that was here then great! If it was someplace else then awesome. We were up for whatever He had in mind.

So where is Steven's Village?

If you go to maps.google.com and search maps for Stevens Village, Alaska you can see it. I believe the largest building you see, using the Satellite or Earth view, is the school. I have no idea where the housing is but I bet it is very near the school building.

The village is 90 air miles North of Fairbanks.

Who lives in Steven's Village?

There are approximately 50 residents in Steven's village (not including us) but many more natives live away from the village so this number changes often.

What do you know about the school?

I know that there are 11 kids enrolled in grades K-12. We will be enrolling Gav and Macy this year as well... bumping it to 13 if the 11 stay. If the # enrolled drops to 10, the school starts closing down. (I also know that they are in search of a preschool teacher and I may fill that position... at least I hope to!) Joe will be the only teacher making him principal as well. We are told the school is a very large building and has a large gym we will be able to run around and play in when the winter seems too long.

Do they have a Native Store like Venetie or will you ship food in?

I do not know for sure about the store, from what I have read, there is 1. We will, without a doubt, be shipping food to ourselves from Fred Meyer in Fairbanks, and we will stock up each time we are in Fairbanks for inservice. Afterall, we do not hunt moose, know how to trap, or fish much... we will have to get our food someplace.

Isn't it dark all the time? And cold too right?

No it's not dark all the time... nor is it bright all the time... they take turns ;) I don't know the specifics for Steven's yet but we are sure to find out and report... I am looking forward to those 'white nights' though. Nothing like enjoying a sun lit walk in the middle of the night.

Between November and March the temp is usually below 0 and extended periods of -50 to -60 are common. Summer temps are between 65 and 72 but it can reach up to the 90's!

I am pretty sure these following links will answer any other questions you have... like do you have running water? (Yes the river runs for a few months before freezing... but we are the only ones with plumbing I think) We love talking about our experiences, so if you have any other questions ASK AWAY!

Information

City Data My favorite bit of info here was the % of people who walked to work... 100%! LOL!

Fun Facts This was the most interesting site... I believe it was straight from some villagers but I did not read the entire thing yet so I can't be sure.

School's website

Nothin better

Things that will ALWAYS put a smile on my face... a baby laughing, Charlie bit me, and a flash mod. This particular one has the cutest old man doing the Hammer dance! LOVE IT

Ethiopian Orphans a video

Ethiopian Orphans from Simon Scionka on Vimeo.
When I see these sweet faces I think about our kidos and it just breaks my heart. Adoption is not the only solution to the orphan crisis but it's for sure a great option! Ethiopia is not the only place where orphans need you but it's a fantastic place to start. If God has been tugging on your heart strings then please be obedient and go for it!

Matthew 25:35-40 (NLT) 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Matthew 18:5 (NIV) "And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me."

Covered in Hope and a Cloth diaper review

The ABSOLUTE BEST cloth diaper on the market!!

This is a post ALL ABOUT cloth diapers. Weird, Alice, you may say, why would you post about your obsession on the adoption page? Well, because my other love (Ethiopia blogs) is what brought this post to life. I happen to be stalking Kristie’s blog and it’s hard to miss the recent posts about cloth diapers. Kristie has started a movement called Covered in Hope. She is gathering cloth diapers to send to Ethiopian orphanages for all the sweet babies and toddlers there. I am told that these amazing children either A: don’t wear pants (or underwear) and use the bathroom on themselves and wherever they may be sitting, B: use a disposable diaper… though these are very expensive and clean ones are hard to get in an orphanage, or C: use a worn out old cloth diaper. Although I have never seen this first hand, I have heard the stories and seen a few pictures. The point is they need diapers and we have PLENTY of them here. Literally, sitting here in my house. A whole laundry basket full to be exact! I have been holding on to these waiting for the right moment to post them for sale on the diapperswappers website. Arwen recently went up a size in diapers and since I was looking for a new brand/type, I gathered up the diapers and got ready to sell…then I read Kristie’s post announcing CCI needed cloth diapers. CCI?! That’s the agency we want to use! (We recently met the director, Sue, at an adoption fundraiser and knew right away that this is exactly the kind of person we want to help us bring our boy/s home.) So I quickly text an email to Mrs. Sallee Couch, whose family is using CCI and going to be picking up their Samson any day now! It’s true they are very much in need of diapers. So I saved 4 of our most expensive diapers (in order to sell for cash to buy Arwen a few more diapers) and boxed up the rest for Sallee to take to Ethiopia. In this box is every size and type of diaper I can think of. Some I love, some I hated, and some I never tried. If you cloth-diaper your babies, you know how hard it is to part with these little poop pockets. If you have not, here is my honest review of the diapers we’ve had.

After much thought and consideration Joe and I decided cloth diapering would be best for our family. Molly was still in diapers/pull-ups and diapers are expensive! So we (when I say we I mean I) did the research and settled on Thirsties AIO (all in one) with pockets for our first go around. When we got these diapers in the mail I was so excited and overwhelmed. “What if I was no good at cloth diapering… and a million other what if’s?” So I tried one on Molly… she wouldn’t take it off because the fleece insides were “sooo cozy.” Saweet! So I bought more in Molly’s size so I had someone to practice on. This time opting for Fuzzibunz pocket diapers with microfiber inserts. She absolutely LOVED her cloth dipes. I think in switching from disposables to cloth, she potty trained quicker. I made her some fleece undies to make up for taking the cozy dipes away, once she was ready. (Fleece doesn’t absorb wetness so it helps the babes stay dry.)

When Arwen arrived we used a mix of the XS Thirsties AIO with pockets, Thirsties covers with unbleached Chinese cotton prefolds (which were just laid in the covers), fleece covers with the same prefolds (that were either pinned on or snappied), and a few homemade AIOs I purchased on etsy. The little chunker was born 9lbs 12oz! We were expecting her to be tiny like her sisters, who wore preemie clothes for at least a month. Needless to say, she didn’t get to wear these very long! So we moved up a size and switched brands. On to FuzziBunz pocket dipes! The smalls lasted FOREVER and the pockets were especially great for adding an extra hemp or microfiber insert for overnight and long car rides. Also, they dried much quicker than an AIO. You see putting the covers, the parts with elastic, in the dryer lessens the diapers life span and when you spend so much time and $ on a diaper you want it to last! BUT the microfiber eventually started to hold smell. For the cloth diapering mammas now wondering… Yes, I tried Charlies soap and it ‘burnt’ the babies bum… Yes, I rinse before I wash and use a final vinegar rinse… No, I didn’t use bleach, fabric softener, or put diaper cream on the baby ever… and yes, I tried stripping them twice! They just didn’t work for us (actually they worked for about 7 months before we had issues). So I tossed the stinky ones out and started to explore other options. (We tried the medium of this brand but they were oddly bulky and loose, which was surprising, because the smalls were so trim.) In the meantime we went back to pre-folds and covers. They work wonders but are bulkier than we liked and not near so soft as some. Next, we tried Thirsties medium fleece fitteds with Thirsties one size covers. Some covers had snaps and some had Velcro. I soon realized how much I hated Velcro! Everything sticks to the tabs… even when they are fastened down for washing and the fitted just doesn’t keep her as dry as I would like it to. Next, I tried a Thirsties size 2 pocket diaper. It has a pocket at both the front and the back so you don’t have to un-stuff it before you throw it into the wetbag (we have tried drawstring, zipper, and open bags… we settled for some purchased on etsy with zippers and a strap for hanging). But it too has a microfiber (and hemp snapped together) insert so it didn’t last long. Then, there was the BumGenius One Size diaper that I converted from Velcro to snaps. The poop just rolls off the inside of this diaper and I stuffed it with hemp inserts but still it just wasn’t what I was looking for. We thought the colors were kind of dull and boring. That’s when I found BerryPlush/Jamtots AI2 diapers! The amazingly soft bamboo and hemp insert snaps into the delicious covers! It not only was the softest diaper I have EVER come across but it held wonderfully, didn’t stain easy, didn’t hold stink, had incredibly fun colors (like leopard and Dalmatian print), had snaps that snapped on the sides, you could reuse the cover multiple times and it fit great! Well, for a while anyway. Arwen started to hang out of the size smalls and the mediums were just too bulky. They were great for pictures, wearing with babylegs or under dresses but just not ideal for wearing with jeans. This all went on for months while we lost faith in cloth diapers. We started putting Arwen in disposables and her bum paid the price. Around her first birthday, I again went in search of the perfect cloth diaper… and found it! It’s a wonderful AI2 diaper with bamboo inserts with a hemp doubler, if needed. It doesn’t hold stink, doesn’t leak, the bold colors are amazing, and the medium fits her thighs and waist perfectly at the 2nd snap (there are 3 adjustable snaps) and they are the trimmest yet! Really! They fit much like disposables without the diaper rash. So here’s to Fishnoodles, the most impressive diaper on the market! Thank You!

Fishnoodles in black. LOOK HOW ADORABLE!

Fishnoodles in a lovely bright blue! Look how TRIM it is!

AIO on infant made by lady on etsy

Prefold with a snappie holding it in place

Fleece cover over the snappied prefold

Crazy baby wearing Thirsties one size cover over a prefold

another view of the cover plus prefold

Berryplush/Jamtot AI2 in Leopard print

SMALL PART of the diaper stash soon to head to Ethiopia!