FRIDAY AGAIN!

Where do the days go? I can't believe another week

has passed. We have been busy here and when the

weather looks like this for days on end the time

seems to just blend together--kind of like the 

movie Groundhog Day where Bill Murray

wakes up to the exact same day happening

over and over again...

We did have a touch of spring awhile ago and 

I thought maybe, just maybe, winter was

over. Kodiak, AK got 20 inches of snow this past

week and had their highway shut down. Denver

is in the middle of blizzards, Mississippi just

had a tornado pass through and North Dakota

is in the middle of record flooding. What a

chaotic winter this has been!

This what is looks like outside the end of March. Aren't

there supposed to crocuses and daffodils???

My daughter's school held their very first science fair

last week. This is her display "How Planets are Created"

She made it all herself--the planets are styrofoam balls

surrounded by brown sugar glued down.

I love that shirt she is wearing. It looks like cammo,

but if you look closely it is bears in different colors.

My niece was also part of the science fair and her display

proved that she could get a hard boiled egg into a

bottle without having to touch it. Dad helped with the 

part where you have to light the paper on fire. It

worked great and she said the egg "bibbled" as it

went down into the bottle.

I have windows in the new kitchen! This is where I will 

spend a lot of my time--I am so glad I have something 

beautiful to look at. I think this is where my sink will go.

I am still trying to figure out the best thing for the 

middle of the kitchen to be my long worktable. Costco 

carries the perfect sized stainless steel table for a great 

price, but they won't ship them here. I can have them 

shipped to my parent's in WA, but then how to get 

them here @49 lbs each...

Tearing out the old wall and support beam into the master

bedroom. The kitchen entrance is to the right. There was

a slight mishap with a beam during this process and the

BRAND NEW WINDOW to the right of my husband got

broken. Sigh. Oh well, thank goodness it wasn't a person

that fell through the window!

The Sitka Sound Herring Sac Roe Fishery opened this

week. Did any of you catch the show about this last week 

on National Geographic? My brother Keith had his name 

listed in the credits on TV--pretty cool! This is part of the 

fleet going by our house. I lost count at 60 boats.

 

The Humpback Whales are thick out there--everywhere 

you look there are whales, sea lions, eagles and seagulls 

gorging themselves on the herring. I was even fortunate 

enough to be looking out the window just as a pair of 

Killer Whales went by. That doesn't happen very often, 

what a treat to see them.

My younger daughter turned 12 on Wednesday.

She picked these colors and I made chocolate

cake with strawberry filling and matching

cupcakes. The flowers are edible, made from 

marshmallow fondant.

It seems to me like she was just

having her 2 year old birthday party!

Wow--I must be getting old.

WE MUST TAKE AMERICA BACK

If you agree with these lyrics, please visit

Steve's website and purchase this song

for $1.99. You can listen to part of it first

by clicking "preview"

Read Steve's story too, about this song

climbing the charts, then being pulled

from the radio after complaints made

to the ACLU.

I hate what is happening to America! My

husband comes from a Communist country

and he sees many similarities with the

current administration's policies to what

he grew up in. He has been through the

ugliness of martial law and curfews on

all the citizens. 

I think everyone that believes in this

country NEEDS to voice their opinion.

We are way past the time to just sit

there reading the paper and watching

the nightly news thinking it's somebody

else's problem.

Remember, all it takes for evil to prevail

is for a few good people to sit around

and do absolutely nothing.

WE MUST TAKE AMERICA BACK (2009)

The American Dream has become a nightmare,

Signs of the times are on cardboard on corners in town,

Like a cancer that’s silently spreading, 

There’s an unspoken fear, we’re on our way down.

We must take America back, 

Main Street to Wall Street, cities and states

Washington D.C., before it’s too late, there’s not long

We need leaders who lead us, not stick us and bleed us,

Then ransom our future, and our children’s - that’s wrong

We must take America back, 

As liberty weeps, our forefather’s spin in their graves

Pray God will bless some way out of this mess, 

We must take America back.

Lord knows they’ll try to silence our voices

They’ll pretend to be patriots fighting for fairness for all

They’re not even fit to hold office

What they believe doesn’t fit, with freedom at all

We must take America back, 

Main Street to Wall Street, cities and states

Washington D.C., before it’s too late, there’s not long

We need leaders who lead us, not stick us and bleed us,

Then ransom our future, and our children’s - that’s wrong

We must take America back, 

As liberty weeps, our forefather’s spin in their graves

Pray God will bless some way out of this mess, 

We must take America back.

Fight for freedom,

And the soul of the USA

Right here right now

It’s Independence Day

We Must take America Back, 

Main Street to Wall Street, cities and states

Washington D.C., before it’s too late, there’s not long

We need leaders who lead us, lift us and heed us

Who stand for what’s right, and stand up to what’s wrong

We must take America Back, now and forever, 

With God, in His rightful place

Then He will bless, and protect the US

We must take America back, We must take America Back

©2009 Steve Vaus

WHERE'S ALL THE GREEN?

We had light snow again last night, so it doesn't seem

like St. Patrick's Day to me! The temperature is creeping

up though because yesterday we passed 40 degrees and

I saw people out having picnics and walking 

everywhere I went.

There has been a lot of progress on the house since I

last posted about it. We are at a bit of a standstill now

because my husband had to get back to work and get

some jobs done for customers that pay (unlike the 

work done on our house) The weather has been a

pain a few times too--at one point we were getting

pelted with rain, snow, ice and wind all in the

same day. I can handle most of it, but the slosh

of rain that came off the roof and went down my

neck as I was bent over measuring something

just about did me in.

The room to the right is the extension of our master 

bedroom. My younger brother helped to get it roofed 

just in time before more snow and rain came.

The kitchen skeleton. The dark piece of plywood to the

right was a window in our master bedroom that was

removed and moved over to the other side of the extension.

Where the window was there will be a door to the kitchen

and we were thinking a dutch door would be kind of neat

so I can leave the top open to the rest of the house when

I am in the kitchen. That way no doggies will be able to

go in the kitchen either!

Looking out the master bedroom extension. You can't see

because of the weather, but this looks right out over our

yard to the ocean and mountain.

Inside the kitchen looking north. The window to the right

looks into our garage and will be moved over to the left wall.

That looks out over the yard to the ocean and the mountain.

I'll also be able to see anybody driving up so I can throw

cookies out to them  :-)

In the kitchen looking south. My wet husband is standing

in the doorway that will have the patio door that was on

the old master bedroom. There will be a deck off the

patio door so we can sit out there on nice days.

Master bedroom completely dried in and everything

covered with new styrofoam house wrap. Since this

picture my husband has started the roof that goes

underneath the deck. What a job! It has to fit under

the deck boards, yet be strong enough and have 

enough of a slope that if the house is ever sold 

and the new owners remove the deck the roof 

has to be able to handle the snow load. Good 

thing we have the right guy on the job!

Grandma Tillie's Bakery--I can hardly wait!

BALD IS BEAUTIFUL

So Friday was an interesting night...

Both of my niece's took part in the annual

St.Baldrick's benefit to raise money for

researching childhood cancers. To show

support for kids that have to endure hair 

loss due to chemo treatments, the

participants agree to collect pledge

money and gather together one night

and have their heads shaved.

Before...

My first niece looks pretty confident. No problemo.

(Obviously she can't see the hairdresser's face behind her)

Uh oh, is that a tear I see?

(nervous laughter)...I'm O.K., I'm O.K....

Gah!!...my WHOLE head?!

My older niece. Oh Yeah, who needs all this hair anyway?

After.

Good job ladies! This team raised $1900. towards the

cause and I didn't hear the overall totals, but last year

the town's total was over $12,000. All I know is there

are a lot of bald heads strolling around town right now.

Please visit St. Baldricks here

HIGH FIVE THURSDAY

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

APPLESAUCE CAKE

This is an old fashioned, easy and quick to make

snack cake that requires things most people will 

have in their cupboard--and it tastes good! This cake

can be made with just a whisk and bowls, no need for

an electric mixer. I found it in my old Betty Crocker 

book that is falling apart at the seams from use.

I laid a pretty doily on top of the cooled cake, then

sprinkled it with powdered sugar  for just a bit of

decoration. The recipe book says this was an old

time quilting bee favorite--I can see why--it is

very moist and very flavorful. A keeper!

APPLESAUCE CAKE

Grease and flour 13 x 9 pan, preheat oven to 350. If you are using a 

glass pan reduce temperature to 325.

2 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. allspice

Sift dry ingredients together with a whisk. Set aside.

1/2 cup soft shortening

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce

In smaller bowl mix ingredients together with whisk.

Add 2 eggs to mixture, stir together. Add this mixture

to dry ingredients, mix for 2 minutes.

Stir in 1/2 cup chopped raisins.

Pour into prepared pan, bake 45 to 50 minutes until cake

tests done with a toothpick in the middle.

When completely cool, lay a large doily on top and sprinkle

lightly with powdered sugar. A thin layer of cream cheese

frosting would be very good as well.

HIGH FIVE THURSDAY

          Go ahead--just try and watch this without smiling...

NOT THE LEGACY I WOULD HAVE CHOSEN

DO YOU EVER FEEL INVISIBLE?

I saw this last year on this blog and just had to reprint 

it here. I think this applies to anyone, not just mothers

 of small children. At one time or another I am sure we 

all feel like we are working in vain and unappreciated.

"I'm invisible..... "

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of 

response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room 

while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. 

Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"

Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or 

cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my 

head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. 

I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can 

you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some 

days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. 

I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide

to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a

 car to order, "Pick me up right around 5:30, please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held 

books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that 

graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared

into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the 

return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back 

from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the 

hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the 

others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare 

and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style 

dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My 

unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was 

afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it.

I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with

 a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this. 

"It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't 

exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her 

inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the 

greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And

I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing 

truths, after which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have 

no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they 

would never see finished.

They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith 

that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came 

to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a 

workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was 

puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much 

time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by 

the roof? No one will ever see it."

And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. 

It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, 

Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even 

when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, 

no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too 

small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great 

cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a 

disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of 

my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, 

stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself 

as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job 

that they will never see finished, to work on something that 

their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals 

could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few 

people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the 

friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My 

mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies,

 and then she hand- bastes a turkey for three hours and presses

 all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine

 or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home.

 And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 

"You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen 

if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the 

world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty

 that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women."

CONSTRUCTION, CRABS & COOKIES, OH MY!

Remember our beautiful sunroom? snif snif

It's gone!

And here's what is happening to our house now.

This is the cement we are working on. It is a foundation

wall for my new baking kitchen! And where the sunroom

was is going to be an 8 foot extension onto our master

bedroom. By doing this we will be adding an additional

bedroom onto our house, fixing our walk in closet and

making the master bedroom more workable. It is laid 

out very poorly right now and this will make it nice &

cozy, plus take advantage of the view. The cement was

poured this last week for the walls and my husband

stripped the forms off this weekend. We have snow 

forecasted, so he may have to wait to get started 

framing.  Gah--he's already chomping at the bit.

We drove downtown later that day and saw a sign

that someone was selling live crab at the harbor.

We drove down to get some and then realized it was

King crab. Dang, too expensive for our wallet! We

talked with them anyway and turns out if any

of the crabs are missing legs they sell them for

less, so we were able to pick out a couple for

dinner for the 4 of us. They had some in this

cooler, & the whole bottom of the boat was full.

An entrepreneur at work--hey anything is good in this

economy, right?

We didn't use his services, but some other people did. Look 

who's standing on the corner behind him waiting for a snack.

Oh.  Yeah.

Today I made cookies for a daycare in town for Dr. Suess's

birthday tomorrow. Too much fun!