On the Seventh Day of Christmas...

"On the Seventh day of Christmas my True Love gave to me... 7 Swans a swimming"

I don't know if any of you have ever seen a swan swimming, but they truly are a BEAUTIFUL bird! Here in Galena we have Swans come in the spring and stay till winter approaches, then they fly south. Sometimes I wish I could be like a swan and head out before winter gets its grip on the land. But since I am not a very good flyer, even in an airplane, I will stick to the ground and wait for them to return.

The symbolism of the Seven Swans  in the song refer to the 7 gifts of the Holy spirit. Gifts that are given to us as Christians. Everyone receives a gift. We don't all get the same gifts and we don't all get ALL the gifts either. The 7 gifts referred to in the song are Prophecy, Ministry/serving, Teaching, Exhortation of encouragement, Giving, Leading, and Compassion/mercy.

 In Romans 12:4-8 it says
^"4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your^[a] faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,^[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully."

I love how this verse shows how we are all part of the body of Christ but we all have different functions and tasks! And each of those tasks should be down to the best of your abilities for the Glory of God!  

If you were to buy 7 beautiful swans, you would be coughing up $1000 a piece! That is a bit pricy but I guess if you really LOVE someone, money is not a issue.... Keith YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BUY ME ANY SWANS!! I will just watch them swim around the pond in the wild when they appear in the spring! The cost of this song is going up EVERY DAY. 

So so far.... JUST Today.......
On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 7 swans a swimming ~ $7000
6 geese are laying ~$210
5 golden rings ~$750 
4 calling birds ~$519.96
3 French hens ~$165
2 Turtle doves ~$125
and a Partridge in a Pear tree. ~$204.99

Coming to a Total of $8,974.95 spent on gifts!

On the Sixth day of Christmas....

"On the sixth day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me, 6 Geese a laying"

 My experience with geese is not a very good one. In Zambia, we lived on a farm for about a year and we had 2 of them in our front yard. They were loud and the BEST guard geese we could have. NOBODY got into our yard without the geese letting us know about it! The geese were also mean! They like to bite! But for some reason the person that wrote this song thought it romantic to use geese as the gift for the sixth day. I wonder why they picked geese, why not penguins or wood ducks. Those are both pretty and cute. But since I didn't write the song I will just tell you what the song means.

Six Geese a laying symbolizes the 6 days of Creation in the book of Genesis. If you were to buy 6 geese that lay eggs would cost you $210. So today my true love bought me....
6 geese a laying ~$210
5 golden rings ~$750
4 calling birds ~$519.96
3 French Hens ~$165
2 Turtle Doves ~ $125
and A Partridge in a Pear tree ~$204.99

All together the gifts cost $1,974.95 WOW! Money is being spent! This song is getting really expensive!

On the Fifth day of Christmas....

"On the Fifth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me... 5 golden rings"

On Christmas, my true love gave me a beautiful James Avery Ring, and I LOVE IT! I love it more then I would 5 golden rings since I don't really wear gold. But if I were to get 5 golden rings, I would not complain about that! =)

Today's gift symbolize the 5 books of the Old Testament also known as the Torah. These are considered the 5 books of Moses starting at creation to the death of Moses. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. They are used to teach about the sin of humanity and God's deliverance.

"On the Fifth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me 5 Golden Rings ~ $750

4 Calling Birds ~$519.96

3 French Hens ~$165

2 Turtle Doves ~$125
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree."$204.99

So Today my True Love spent a total of $1,764.95 on gifts for me!

On the Fourth Day of Christmas.....

"On the Fourth Day of Christmas my True Love gave to me..... 4 Calling Birds"

 OK so I don't think these are QUITE the birds they are talking about in the song but I thought it funny!

Calling birds or singing birds such as canaries are the 4 gift in our song. These 4 birds refer to the Four Gospels of the Bible. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These books proclaim Gods grace and salvation and his love of sending his one and only son to save the world.

If you were to buy 4 calling birds or Canaries you would be paying around $100+ a piece. According to my sources and my research for this song I have found the total would come out to be $519.96. So all together..
 "On the fourth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me, 4 calling birds $519.96

3 french hens $165
2 Turtle doves $125
and a Partridge in a Pair tree" $204.99
Bringing the total cost of today's gift coming out to a total of $1014.95. Wow my True Love must really love me. This gift giving is coming out to be very costly!=) Stay tuned for tomorrow.......

An International Christmas

Christmas morning arrived, not by waking children which we were expecting, but by a barking dog that needed to go outside. At least we got to sleep in a bit. But once the dog began barking, the boys woke and were ready to open presents. They ran to the living room with great excitement! Keith and I have tried to make sure the boys know that Christmas is Jesus' birthday and not to want MORE AND MORE. Having no stores and not watching much TV allows us to shelter the boys from the commercialism that Christmas seems to have become. We have began giving most of the gifts on 3 Kings day, So for Christmas the presents were few but extremely fun. They were thankful for the few presents that they were about to open. One thing that I was very thankful this Christmas was Technology! I don't always like the complexity of technology but for Christmas I was EXTREMELY thankful for Skype. Skype allowed Oma & Opa(my parents), Abu & Abuela (Keith's parents) and Tio Ken& Titi Yanelys(Keith's Brothers family) all to be in our house for Christmas morning. We had a connection to Zambia on the computer, a connection to Puerto Rico on IPad and another connection to Puerto Rico on the Ipod. We literally were stretched around the world! It was a international Christmas morning! The boys enjoyed opening their gifts and then showing them off to their Grandparents. Even though there were oceans and continents between us it made us feel like we were NOT THAT FAR away from family on such a wonderful day!

 Waiting patiently for Dad, and all the connections to be made.

 Presents from Ms. Suzanne in Texas! Thanks Ms. Suzanne!

 Dino Transformer from Tio & Titi! Gracias!!! He loves it!

 Computer from Titi and Tio! Gracias!!

 LEGO Starwars ~ SO excited!

 Here you can see Daddy holding the IPOD and the computer in the background. 

An International Living room

 Isaiah's gift from Abu & Abuela

 Keith's beaded gloves I made him

 Art work from one of our local friends Kim Ueeck. He carves a stamp out of wood, prints his pictures and  then re-carves it to get a detailing and re-stamps. It is an amazing process and beautiful artwork!

 I got some beautiful James Avery Jewelery!

 Thanks Mami & Papi and Keith!

  After a presents, we had a brunch. Pumpkin Pie Pancakes, eggs and Caribou Sausage. half way through breakfast, Keith and I started to think how wrong it was to eat reindeer for breakfast on Christmas morning.... Sorry Santa! During the day we enjoyed playing with the boys and building all their new LEGO sets. In the afternoon, Keith and I began preparing for our Annual Ramos Christmas party! Keith smoked a turkey and made a traditional Puerto Rican Pork. Everyone else were bringing sides and desserts. We had about 40 people in our house. It became quite the challenge to seat everyone in our living room and dining room. But it worked and people just kind of rotated around. People who got up to get food, others would take their seats, then rotate again. It worked well.

 Food Glorious Food!

 Kids table

 Kaden wanted to make a "Happy Birthday Jesus" Cake. I love that tradition so I made one, Our neighbor Karin cooked it for me due to the fact my oven was in the process of cooking a roast. I let the boys pick the decorations and this is what we ended up with. An angel, Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, sheep, cows, camels, donkeys, and a pig(Isaiah's pick) and Sprinkles!!! LOTS AND LOTS OF SPRINKLES!!! Kaden liked to sprinkle them all around, Isaiah liked them all in one spot! It was Cute and my boys were excited to sing "Happy Birthday" and blow out candles.  Kaden has told me a few times this was the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!!

The food was Fantastic and fellowship fun! Another International affair. We had Puerto Rican, Cajun, Alaskan, African and many in between. I love the diversity of my life! We had a blast. Games came out and were played. It was such a fun day! It was a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!!

On the Third Day of Christmas.....

"On the third day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me........3 French Hens"
If you are wondering what French Hens are, I will tell you, They are apparently big Chickens. Yep it is a type of chicken from France. But according to the song the 3 French Hens symbolize the 3 Theological Virtues of the Bible. Faith Hope and Love
1 Corinthians 13:13 Now these three remain: Faith Hope and Love, but the greatest of these is Love.

 "On the third day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me........3 French Hens ~$165
2 Turtle Doves~ $125
and a Partridge in a Pear tree"~ $204.99

So if you were to buy all these things that My True Love gave to me on Day 3, you would have spent a grand total of  $494.99 on today's gifts. 



*Prices are based on the Article in USA Today's Cost of '12 Days of Christmas'

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

and all through the house, a lot of creatures were stirring  including 2 elves!........

On Christmas Eve, we had some friends over for our traditional Mexican food, which included Tamales, Enchiladas, Spanish rice.(which I made all by myself and it turned out great! Keith is the rice cooker in the family. It must be a Puerto Rican thing that gives him the rice cooking ability!)  It was a yummy dinner! I even got to Skype with my family in Texas and that was AWESOME!!  After dinner we had a Christmas Eve Service that was fun. Including the Kids singing a few fun songs. Then we returned home for some games. I let the boys stay up later then their normal bed time in hopes that they would sleep in on Christmas morning. Plus they were so wired with goofiness that it took them a little bit to calm down! We tried to get their picture and my funny elf baby was cracking us all up. His older brother was being very patient and standing still, most of the time, While Isaiah was being silly! Here are some pictures of the goofiness. And then Kaden getting in some of it too. My boys make me laugh! They must get that goofiness from their dad's side of the family because my side is always so conservative and boring!=)

 When you tell Isaiah to stand up for a picture, this is what he does!

 Uh Oh he found the Elf hat

 The Big elf, Kaden. This is him doing what I call the Elf dance.

 Kaden trying to stand still and get a picture, Isaiah doing the Elf dance.

 My 2 funny boys!

 Again look at Isaiah who is just a goofy boy!

 And Again!(Good Job Kaden for being patient with Isaiah!)

 And Again!

 And Again!

 While Visions of Sugarplums danced in their heads..... What are sugar plums anyway? These kids were probably dreaming of apples and oranges and bananas. My kids would rather have fresh fruit over candy. But look at my sleeping elves! So precious!

O Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree, How frozen are your branches!

I just realized when Keith downloaded all the pictures that I had not posted about all our Christmas happenings.  OK, I am a bit behind but I will try to squeeze these in before the year is up.

What would Christmas be without a Christmas tree... A real Christmas tree. If you ask my dad he would tell you life is GREAT without a real one when you have to hunt for it like we did growing up.  It was quite common to cut 3 trees together to make one bushy enough to hang ornaments. I guess that is why dad never like to go get real ones in Africa. Finding a pretty one at Home Depot or Lowe's was always nice while we were in the States for Christmas. Oh the fond memories of going and cutting Christmas trees in Africa.

 But Living in Alaska provides us with a real one EVERY year!! As long as it warms up enough to go get one. This December has been a VERY COLD one. Going out in -30 is not my idea of fun and honestly... NO tree is worth it to me! And that is coming from a Christmas tree lover! I have one in every room of my house! But I am not one to venture out in frigid weather just for a tree. Plus if you cut a tree at -30 by the time you get it home there will be no leaves or branches on it due to the extreme breakage. But one day there was a break in the -30 and it warmed up to -18 and Keith and I knew that was the ONLY chance we were going to have to get out. So we called our friends the Tullochs, who went out with us last year,  layered up with winter gear, loaded up our boys and headed out. It was quite the trip and it was still FREEZING. But one we got off the snow-machine and started to walk it warmed us up pretty good. We found a nice tree, I am not commenting on Ross' tree, but let it be known, I had nothing to do with picking that tree! Sorry Wendy I really tried to get him to pick a different one! =) But we picked our trees, got a picture and chopped them down. Then Loaded them on the sled and headed home to some nice hot chocolate with Marshmallows. According to Kaden that is the BEST way to warm up! I have to agree with him on that. While our tree got to warm up in the garage. For the record, don't ever try to squeeze a frozen tree through a hallway and a few doors or your fluffy tree will be a little bit skinnier by the time you put it up. We decorated our tree with home made ornaments and it is beautiful! But don't touch it, the leaves are barely holding on. Anytime someone runs up the stairs or jumps or makes a big move you hear the dropping of a few leaves. By 3 Kings day it will be bare! But we just keep adding tinsel. You know shiny silver tinsel makes everything look pretty! =) Though next year I might be tempted to pull an Zambian trick and tie 2 trees together to get a really fluffy one!

Ross and the girls picking their tree

 I am looking for a really nice one that would still fit in my dining room.

 The boys and I with our tree, to the left

 Loading it on the sled

 Loaded and ready to go get some Hot Chocolate. next year we may have to borrow another snow-machine because 4 people on one is a bit tight! But it kept us warm!

On the First Day Of Christmas,

Have you ever wondered the point to the song "The 12 Days of Christmas?" I HAVE!! A lot! What do any of those 12 things have to do with Christmas? Well I began researching this in November and I am so glad I did! It turns out to have A LOT of Christmas meaning to it!  SO even though I have not blogged about our Christmas Day yet, mostly due to the fact we were to tired to download the pictures last night, I will catch up with that tonight maybe. But Today i am going to start the process of explaining that Christmas Carol that none of us really know what it means but it is a traditional song to sing at Christmas. 12 Days of Christmas

This song dates back to the 16th century while there were religious wars going on in England. The song was created and each verse memorized by children to help make remembering their faith. It was to also help teach the children their Catechism with out the authorities knowing since they could have been imprisoned for their faith. The counting started on Christmas day( I am a day behind but I will catch up today) and then each day up until January 6 which is the day of Epiphany. What we celebrate as a family as 3 Kings day. I will blog on that later too.  In the song, a gift is given by "my True Love" which refers to God and "Me" refers to ....Me the Christian. Now that I figured out myself. Now on the the rest of the song.

"On the First day of Christmas my True Love gave to Me.... A Partridge in a pear tree."
December 25th is the First Day of Christmas, God sent Jesus to earth to be like a partridge in a pear tree. A mother partridge will draw predators away from her nest of eggs, by pretending to be hurt and sometimes even sacrificing themselves to save their chicks.  The verse that went along with this day was Luke 13:34 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, How often would I have sheltered you under my wing as a hen does her chicks"

Now on a side note and just to be interesting, if you were to buy these things gifts in 2012, the first day of Christmas would cost you $15 for a Partridge and $189.99 for a pear tree. So the cost of your first Day of Christmas comes out to $204.99

"On the Second Day of Christmas my True Love gave to me..... 2 Turtle Doves"
What are 2 turtle doves? I had no idea, I always pictures a turtle flying around with dove wings... Yeah probably not the meaning of the song. Actually 2 Turtle Doves symbolise the Old and New Testment. These two parts of the bible reveal to us the world before Jesus and then the spread of the Gospel through the world after Jesus came.

So on this day if you were to buy the gifts of this song you would be paying... $329.99
On the Second Day of Christmas my True Love gave to me..... 2 Turtle Doves ~ $125
And  A Partridge in a pear tree." ~$204.99



*These prices are based on an article  written by USA Today and  the PNC Wealth Management, whoever they are.=)

Winter Solstice

In most Calenders it says December 21 is "First Day of Winter". I think the calender people need to move to Alaska, because winter has been here for WEEKS! With temperatures at below -30, I would say winter is definitely here!"Baby, it's cold out side"

On a side note: I have decided that when I grow up I want to be a weatherman. They make predictions that the weekend is going to warm up. We anticipate the warmer temps... When I say warmer, I mean warmer then -30 degrees! Have I said it is really cold out there? Anyways, the weather man said it was going to warm up, but it didn't! And he still has a job! Wow, talk about job security! I definitely want to be a weather man when I grow up!

Yesterday, was what we call winter solstice, the shortest day in our year. Meaning it was the day with the least hours of light! We celebrate it here! There are parties to celebrate the shortest day of the year. We celebrate the shortest day for the fact that we are so excited that we have reached the darkest days and from here on out we will be receiving more and more day light! More sun coming through my window! Every Second counts! Now if the weather man would be right about some warmer weather. Happy Solstice everyone and for you in the Lower 48, winter can start... And for my friends in Florida, the weather man said it is suppose to be 28 degrees tonight! Break out the sweater you get to wear once a year, You might need it tomorrow!=) Courtney that means you! =)

Photo Contest Winner!!

Yesterday we got the announcement that Keith won the National Wildlife Refuge Association's photo contest! Out of 850 photos entered he won FIRST place!!!!! We are super excited! Check out the pictures, there are some amazing photos! I am very proud him and his ability to take good pictures! Congratulations Keith!
Check out the link below!
http://refugeassociation.org/2012/12/2012-photo-contest-results/

I'm Dreaming of a........

Yes I live in Alaska.
Yes we have snow.
Yes we use a wood stove to keep our house warm and cozy
Yes we have already reached temperatures so low that my thermometer won't even register it. Maybe because the thermometer knows that if it really reported that it was a -50 below I might throw it out the window. Whatever the reason, it just registers down to -40 and stops. I can imagine that it is not that cold. But I must tell you, that when it "warmed" up to -22(Which it was earlier in the week) I was excited. I am not sure why since it is still to cold to go do something outside but it is all in the principal of that fact! I know every song about the Christmas season is based around the fact that there will be snow, cozy fireplaces . My life could easily fit into a Christmas song.
"Dashing through the Snow, In a one horse open sleigh"(though here in Galena it is more likely to be a dog sled team)
"Frosted Window panes, Candles beaming in side"
"Walking in a winter wonderland"
"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack frost nipping at your nose"(even though I have no idea what a chestnut really is or tastes like)
"Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, since we've no place to go. Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow."
"I'll be home for Christmas, You can count on me. We'll have snow and mistletoe, and presents under the tree."
And my absolute favorite song "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know" (even though technically I never knew a what a White Christmas was untill the last few years. But I sing the song anyway. I think it is just one of those songs that get you excited for Christmas!)

I do love where I live and snow and winter but .... This year I can honestly say, the song that I find myself singing more often is:

"Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day
That's the island greeting that we send to you from the land where palm trees sway
Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright
The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night
Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say Merry Christmas to you"

This song always reminds me of the movie "Donavan's Reef", starring John Wayne. Christmas on the Island of Hawaii. Tropical Paradise. I love that movie! I don't really want to go to Hawaii but if my husband took me I would NOT complain. But my thoughts are more on a Zambian Christmas. One of my Aunts in Zambia posted on Facebook a few days ago that she was "Dreaming of a White Christmas" and that made me start to think of what I dream of for Christmas and all the memories I have of Christmas in Zambia. This is where my mind has taken me.

I am dreaming of green Christmas, where the grass is so green and soft you can go barefoot. Flowers are always blooming and my favorite flowers the Zambian Flame Lily and the Fireball Flower always bloom at Christmas! My dad would always have a shovel in the back of the truck and when we drove out to churches and would see any of these plants we would did them up and transplant them to our yard. I love these flowers. My wedding bouquet was made with the Flame Lily. BEAUTIFUL!!! I would love to see these things!

 Flame Lily

                Fireball Plant( I don't know the real name of this plant but it is so PRETTY!)

I am dreaming of a Christmas where a tree is usually an artificial but it can be real, if you can convince my dad to go out and hunt for one or three. I say three because the species of trees that are available, usually only have a few branches so to create a fluffy tree with enough branches to hold lights and ornaments you need three and then you tie them with wire. 3 trees make for a lovely tree! Then you tie it to the ceiling so that it won't fall on top of you. Trust me when I say having a pine tree fall on you is a little poky! The positive about a real one is the smell and you can use tinsel on the branches!

I am dreaming of a bright Christmas. Where the sun shines brightly for more then 3 hours in the day.  And I mean REALLY SHINE!! Where you don't need lights on except for the Christmas tree. Where if you sit outside long enough you can get a tan! I havn't had a tan in so long I could probably blend in to the white walls in my house!

I am dreaming of a HOT Christmas. The kind where the steam from the ground creates that dusty African smell that can not be described but everyone that has been there knows! Swimming is not unusual on a Zambian Christmas. And if you run out of space inside your house, set up tables outside on the veranda.

I am dreaming of a wet Christmas, where it typically rains in the afternoon after the rain clouds build all day. The heat before the rain is HOT and HUMID! And you can smell the rain about to start. Fixing your hair would be pointless and wearing ANY of your Christmas sweaters is OUT OF THE QUESTION!

With the rain comes the the issue of ZESCO (the Zambian Electric company) When it rains , it never fails to turn the electricity off. NEVER FAILS. Every Christmas I can remember, there was no power and mom did most of the cooking on the camping stove or over the grill! But I love that memory!

I am dreaming of the traditional holiday feast! Enchiladas, tacos, salsa, chips, queso....DON'T Judge! Don't you know that Mexican food was originally served at the Stable? Just kidding!  Trying to find a turkey in Zambia while I was growing up was like wishing for snow! hahaha! But every Christmas Mexican food is on the menu and friends and family by the dozens arrive at my moms house with a dish to add to the collection and to enjoy the meal.

So while most people are dreaming of  a White Christmas, I am dreaming a of the total opposite. I will sing the song "I'll be home for Christmas...only in my dreams" But I will still be singing Mele kalikmaka and wishing for a Christmas that is green and bright with trees swaying.  But whatever I am wishing for White or Green, I will be enjoying the warm house with my wonderful family and friends. I will be enjoying the turkey and ham along with all the trimmings.  Enjoy the season  and enjoy the sweet memories of Christmas that we have had. I hope and pray that my boys as they grow up will enjoy the memories that we are creating. I hope when they grow up, they think back with fondness of the Christmas' that we have now with the same fun memories that I have growing up.

Mele Kalikimaka!

Creative Dates!

Living in the bush with no restaurants or places to go out to, date nights and anniversaries have to be creative. Date nights can be taking your special person to the basketball game on Friday night and buying them a hot dog, which in itself could end up costing you the same as going out to a fine restaurant! A date could be driving to the liquor store(they sell more then just liquor) and allowing your date to buy whatever candy bar they want then drive out to the sand dunes and sit by the river and watch the sun set. FYI~That option is best in the summer! You can take your date on a beaver hunt in the spring, just remember to buy your date the right license so that they can also participate in the hunt! You could take your date on a drive to the "Mall" where you can find all kinds of discarded treasure. One year, Keith and I did this and found a "Brand New" platform to put my washing machine on! Or a discarded barrel that your date could use for his bear bait station. The "Mall" Option is also better in the summer since treasures get covered in snow and driving up the steep hill to the dump, I mean mall is quite slick in the winter! Plus if you for some reason break down out on the road it is a long walk home in the winter. But be WARNED, in the summer you have to be on guard for bears who also like to search for discarded treasure of the food and dirty diaper type! You could create a plan to go out on a snow-machine with your wife and kids, plan to have your friend pick up the kids and in the process drop off a basket of food at a table that was set up. Then that friend would take the kids back to their house while you and your wife have a romantic dinner with a fire and Hot chocolate out in the snowy woods. Out in the bush you have to be creative!

When it is -30 outside is a little hard because personally, I will not go out to play outside at that temp! So creating a date has to become a creative process of questions...."What can I do that no one else has done already?" " Where can we go?" "Whose house can we invade with our kids while we try to have a date?" "How cold is it outside?" "How much time do we have to work with?" All these questions and more went through my brain when I was trying to think of a fun way to celebrate our 7th anniversary. A few weeks ago Keith and I got our garage and our storage room downstairs cleaned up. We can now park our car inside to stay warm and the storage room makes a good play room if you get tired of the scenery upstairs. So when that was cleaned out, the wheels in my head began to turn and I started to plan. With shelves of boxes and pantry items the room is NOT very romantic but with the help of a few sheets and Christmas lights it could become a pretty romantic setting. Then at a party a friend asked if she could watch my kids sometime and then the plan really fell into place. I asked her if she could come over and watch my kids upstairs while Keith and I went downstairs for a quiet dinner. So the plan was in motion.

Our anniversary arrived December 17th. Hard to believe that it has been 7 years since our wedding. Sometimes it feels like so much has happened that it has to be longer then 7 years and then other times when it feels like yesterday when it all happened. 7 YEARS! 2 states later, 2 kids later, a few pounds heavier! 7 years have past! WOW! So yesterday I planned and cooked our meal and got it all ready to go, so all I had to do was stick it in the oven. It worked out great with less stress that way. Keith came home with a bouquet of balloons(flowers are not really available this time of year), a chocolate bar and a gallon of milk! For those of you who live here understand the romance of receiving a gallon of milk. At $11 a gallon, I was very excited to receive such an rare and expensive gift! The evening went on as usual. I was in the kitchen cooking our meal with strict orders to Keith NOT to go into the Kitchen. Then Gunner and Adrian arrived, Keith thought they just came to visit and didn't know it was our anniversary so I went along with that story. So while they talked all the details were getting done. I took food downstairs when Keith was not watching and got things ready. The candles were lit and the Christmas lights on and I took Keith downstairs. He was a bit worried that we were going outside since it was cold but I told him get his shoes and follow me.

We entered the storage room where I had transformed it as best I could into Ramos Resturante Italiano! I hung sheets from the ceiling creating a small room , hung lights to create a glow and then decorated the table with fine linens, candles, china and all the details. Excpet I forgot to take a picture of it BEFORE we ate. We had salad(another rare thing in winter), lasagna and garlic bread and for dessert Blueberry delight that has been a tradition every anniversary since our first. I got the recipe at the Bed & Breakfast that we went to our first anniversary. It is DELICIOUS!!! It was nice to sit and relax and not worry about feeding the kids, because Adrian was doing that upstairs and there was no booming or screaming going on so it seemed to be quite peaceful upstairs. It was a fun and enjoyable evening. Thanks Adrian and Gunner for helping me be creative! Happy Anniversary Keith! I love you!

 I forgot to take a picture before but here are some after.

 

Today in honor of our anniversary I am posting my Blueberry delights recipe. It came from a Bed & Breakfast in East Texas from our first anniversary.

Blueberry Delight
1 stick butter (melted)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Mix these three ingredients and press into 8 inch square pan.
In a bowl, mix together:
1 small package of cream cheese
1(8oz) package Cool whip(I use Dream Whip)
1 1/2 cup powder sugar.
Mix well and pour over dough
In a sauce pan blend
3/4 cup sugar
2 TBSP corn starch
Then add:
 3/4 cup water
2 cups blueberries
Bring to a boil and boil till thick. Then remove from heat
Add:
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP butter.
Mix well, let cool completely. When Cool pour over Cream cheese layer and refrigerate!

FYI~ This is VERY RICH! BUT OOOOOHHHH So delicious!

Are you ready to run?

7 years ago, my dad asked me "Are you ready to run?" I said No and we linked arms and he walked me down the isle in a long white dress where my best friend was standing at the end waiting for me. We said "I do" and since then life has been a remarkable journey! Lots of laughs, lots of tears, lots of moves, 2 kids, lots of trials, lots of ups, lots of downs, lots of adventures,  LOTS OF FUN!!!!!! Thank you Keith for a wonderful 7 years of marriage! I can't wait to see where the Lord leads us in the next 100! Love you with all my heart! 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

 

Glisteny and a beauitful sunrise.

For 4 days I have been under the weather and pretty much sleeping in my bed or conked out on the couch. The only time I really got up was to switch locations. It was not a pleasant week. There should be a rule that Mommies are not allowed to get sick and every germ must follow that rule. I find that when mommy is sick, the house falls apart, the laundry doesn't get done, bread doesn't get baked and my boy seem extra whiny. I am so thankful for Keith and him having a job that allowed him to stay home on the day that I was the sickest. He held down the fort and I woke up the next morning to a kitchen that was dish free! This always makes me happy considering I HATE to do dishes. He also cooked all the meals and kept the boys from getting into to much trouble. Today is the first day this week that I have had any energy to catch up with all the things that didn't get done. But today is a Beautiful day. For the last week we have had warmer temps and snow, snow snow and more snow. Which is a good thing. Keith can drive his snow machine to work, which lets me not have to do a lot of driving.(Since our town is SOOO BIG, 2 miles to Keith's work) But it is nice not to have to brave the snowy roads in a truck that has no 4X4. Driving becomes more of a slip and slide to school. It is rather fun as long as long as there is a snow bank and running off the road is not likely to happen. The fresh snow is so pretty, clean and glistening. Glistening~ To shine by reflection with a sparkling luster or the Tabby definition being ~that sparkly, shiny appearance of diamonds in the Snow. Glistening snow is the prettiest! I love driving when the sun catches the shine of the snow flakes. It makes me feel like I live in a land of Glitter. I love that part of the song that says "Sleigh bells ring are you listening, in the lane snow is glistening." This week since it was a constant snowfall the sun was blocked out so not much glistened unless you drove by a streetlight. But today the sun decided to show itself, and peeked in my living room window around 1 pm.... yes 1 pm. But it is beautiful. Technically it rises around 10:50 am and sets around 2:40. Leaving only about 3 hours and 48 minutes to see it. Since we live among a lot of trees, the sun has to get a bit higher to reach our second story window. I am soaking up as much as I can and I am enjoying looking out and watching it glisten on the fresh snow. What a nice day to wake up and enjoy. I just wish the temperature that started this morning at 4 degrees didn't drop down to -20 which it is now.  There won't be any walking in a Winter wonderland today. I will just enjoy the pretty day from the warmth of my home and just watch the glistening snow from my window. It is SO PRETTY!

Have a very Glistening day!

Walking in a winter wonderland

As  I walked to church today, there is one thing all of us noticed. It was warm today! Yesterday was a bitter -30 degrees and today it was a warm 3 degrees! That is a  33 degree difference in temperature! Every one at church was excited! 3 degrees means trucks start easier, your lungs don't feel like collapsing when you inhale, and you can expect snow! Yes, that is right, only in Alaska would you hope it will "warm up" so it will have a chance to snow. Most people in the south, me being one of them till I moved here, would say "oooo a cold front is coming and the temperature is dropping, I hope it will snow" here we just hope it warms up enough to snow. (We have not had enough snow this year.)I am coming to the conclusion that cold weather is all relative to your location. 3 years ago I got off the plane in anchorage Alaska to a 24 degrees.  Before leaving the airport I put on my long johns, snow pants, snow boots, parka, scarf, hat and snow gloves. Then I did the same for Kaden. And I was still cold...at 24 degrees!! Today it was a balmy 3 degrees and I wore a skirt and dangling earrings to church. Just incase you didn't know earrings get really cold and hurt your ears in extreme cold weather.  Kaden's first comment outside was "Wow mom, it's hot today."  I had to agree and actually left my beaver hat, which is very very very warm, at home.  Too hot to wear that today.  It was such a lovely day! My lungs and nose appreciate the chance to recover after a few weeks of bitter cold.  I was busy this afternoon making a cake for a party, but Kaden and some friends went out to ice skate. As I said it was a lovely day! This evening I was already in my pajamas when Karin called and said she was heading out to ice skate. Yay! We had discussed how cool it would be to ice skate around our pond with candles and lights to light our path. It was perfect! Candles, warm temps and snow falling. When we would skate the light would make the snow sparkle all around you. It was beautiful!! And I got to do something I have never done before... Ice skate in my pj's!!! How relaxing is that?  So now I am sitting in bed typing this while I eat a gingerbread cookie and drink a wonderful glass of eggnog!! Keith surprised me with it the other day. $ 9 for a half a gallon of eggnog?... Yes it is so worth it!!!! Signing off tonight, thankful for snow, warmer temps, pj's and eggnog! Life is good!!Goodnight

Sleigh bells ring are you listening, 

In the lane snow is glistening,

A beautiful sight we're happy tonight

Walking in a winter wonderland!

Date Balls

In my mind, one of my favorite Christmas treats in my mom's Date Balls. These are ALWAYS at my house for Christmas. They are habit forming and addicting and usually didn't last long at our house. I just made these this week and they are disappearing fast! Try these yummy Date Balls. You will LOVE THEM!

Date Balls
In a sauce pan, bring to a boil:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or Margrine
1 box of chopped dates
Boil for 3 minutes stirring continuously
Remove from heat and add:
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecans
2 cups rice crispies
Mix well and then scoop out by spoonful. Roll into balls( I use one of those small Ice cream scooper, The little tiny ones that are about 1 TBSP works great and you don't have to use your hands.) Drop into coconut and roll and coat with coconut. Place on wax paper to cool. Enjoy! They really are delicious!