Birthday party….

All of my siblings and my parents live in the greater Minneapolis area.  We live in Anchorage.  There are about 4000 miles between the 2 cities. 

This makes getting together for birthdays and holidays a bit of a  challenge. 

I was feeling a bit sad that I had missed out on so many things over the past 8 months and really wanted to celebrate SOMETHING while in  Minnesota. 

So we had a birthday party:  for all the cousins.  It was a ball.

Mom and I went and got cards for all the kids.  Lucy picked up Dairy Queen gift certificates.  A cake was ordered, ice cream procured.  And we partied. 

We started out by having everyone write on everyone elses’ card.  It was very fun, each kid got a card that was signed by all of their cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents on the Showalter side of the family. 

We sang “Happy Birthday” and found that it takes a lot longer when you have to run through 13 names at the “happy birthday dear…” part of the song.

That night somewhere between 5 and 5000 cousins spent the night at my folks house.  It was as it should be!

the flight is late….

I am sitting here waiting a bit before leaving for the airport to pick up my cousin, Michelle, who is on her way (along with her youngest child) here from sunny Mexico.

The flight is delayed a bit and it gave me a few unexpected minutes to sit here at my computer.

The kids are on spring break, so everything has been a bit topsy turvy for the last few days, we completely missed fencing tonight. Just forgot about it, until about 20 minutes ago. Oh well.

but here is what I really wanted to write about:

I have been reading a lot regarding the economy, now that the elections are over, I need something else to obsess about, and the economy seems like a worthwhile target. It has got to be better than following celebrity gossip, right?
So, there is one company that is doing remarkably well during this economic downturn, sales are up quite a bit over last year.
It is McDonalds.
Somehow, McD’s has managed to convince hundreds of millions of people in the US that not only are the fries really tasty (and I will agree with that), but the quarter pounder is a cost effective choice for dinner.

I am not going to get into the nutrition debate, we all know that McD’s does not offer nutritious food, just convenient and fast food that years of advertising and amazingly well placed restaurants have trained many to depend on. ( that isn’t worded quite right, but I don’t have THAT much time).

But cost effective? If we take our little family of 5 through the drive-through for a quick meal at McD’s, we spend a minimum of $20. That adds up. We make it through a drive through maybe once every couple of months, I would love to say we never go, but that is just not true. We do, however, try to limit it. For a lot of reasons, but a big one is cost.

This article went on to say that the stronger US dollar will actually hurt McDonalds profits, due to commodity costs, etc. I suppose I should care. But I don’t. I hope they decide to raise prices by a substantial amount, and people stop swinging though 4 times a week.

After all, you can pick up a roast chicken and a bag of salad and tray of breadsticks for about $10, sit down and have dinner together at home and you car stays cleaner.

Hmmm, is this a little bright spot peeking through the clouds of doom and gloom?

Ahhhhh….

the last week here at the Lawrence house has been positively blissful.  Things have been relaxed and, I tell you, that is exactly what we needed this year.  After 6 months of tension:  leaving the Midwest and my family, cancer, surgery, recovery, insurance hassles, settling into a new neighborhood, new school, new church.  It has all felt frantic. 

the first few weeks in Alaska, we were so busy with all the medical stuff and school.  Then, as Dave began to feel better, we began to go again, catching up with friends long neglected in our moves.  A beloved aunt and uncle came to visit, Dave’s folks were in town. A long awaited trek to Homer.  A trip to Kenny Lake to reconnect with very special friends.  Each week that Dave was home something was going on. 

The weeks he was gone were filled with school and fencing and volunteering and Daisy Scouts.  Our Dave-less weekends were often spent in the Valley playing with the Riopelles or the Becks. 

So, when Christmas break rolled around,  although I missed/miss my family terribly, I was ready for the slow down.  And without extended family, it really was slow around here. 

We have never had a week like this.  Dave has been home since the day before Christmas, and has only been on the phone 2 times for work.  I think he only checked his email once.  The kids have been off of school, and since I don’t work… It has been wonderful.

Christmas eve was quiet, we went to church and enjoyed a lovely service complete with candles and volunteer choir.  Singing “Silent Night” with each persons face illuminated by the glow of the candles… knowing my family had done the same in Minnesota. 

At home that evening, we opened presents.  Not too many, that really isn’t our thing.  Neither Dave nor I grew up in households that went all out over Christmas presents and we have not made that a part of our family celebrations either.  Broder got some Troll legos, Kjell got an mp3 player, Sunny some doll clothes.  All the kids got pipecleaners and games and a puzzle to share. 

The most exciting present by far was the book box.  Dave and I had gone to a used book store in town and bought a bunch of books, some for each member of the family including our selves.  There were mysteries, car repair manuals, fantasy, history, knitting, learn to read , books of all kinds.  We had wrapped each book in newspaper(and didn’t label them as to whom they belonged) and put all the books in a large box.  When it came time to open the box, the kids pulled out any book, unwrapped it, and tried to figure out who it belonged to.  this was great fun and something I think we will do in years to come. 

Christmas morning brought the usual stockings stuffers, toothpaste, band-aids, toothbrushes and a little bit of candy. 

In the afternoon, our friend Tom came over for dinner.  It was great to send some time with him and catch up on all that has gone on in his life over the last 6 years.  It was an afternoon of good conversation, snuggled in our little house watching the snow pile up outside. 

In the days since Christmas, we have played a lot of games, put together a puzzle, taken the dog for long walks, baked some bread and lefse, drank good coffee and little wine,  and generally just hung out as a family.  We didn’t even start the car for 3 days! 

The holidays are so often a time of busy running and that is so much fun, and I missed that a little this year, there were times when I would get a little teary knowing that all my siblings and my parents were together, without us.  But, I think this last week was just what we needed.

A crazy crazy couple of weeks…

Over the last couple weeks it has been super busy around here.  2 weeks ago my Aunt Ellen and Uncle Lowell came for a visit from Youngstown, Ohio.  It has been so fun to have them here. They have had wonderful weather, have spent time all over the state, have seen Denali more than once.  How fun is that!  We have stayed up too late most nights, enjoying a glass of (mostly cheap) wine, and lots of great conversation.  The kids have enjoyed playing games like Jenga and Racko and Blink.  We even got to spend last weekend in Homer, I will post more on that later. 

LAst week Dave’s folks came into town, it is always good to have them here, and this time was no exception.  Roy (Dave’s dad) gave us all a bit of a scare when he landed in the hospital on Halloween night after exhibiting stroke like symptoms.  After another trip in on Saturday night, and 3 days of observation he was told that he was getting old and needed to drink more water, and then sent home with a clean bill of health.  Thankfully nothing neurological was involved and we look forward to many many more years with a vibrant and vital Grandpa. 

And of course, the dog made it home.  It has been so fun to have him with us.  I really can’t express it.  He is such a good boy.

Halloween, Daisy Scouts, fencing lessons, church, youth group, the biggest Costco run in history, 1 election night, 3 cases of a very exciting stomach virus, 13 people and the dog sleeping in the house last Monday night(I will write more about that too, it was pretty funny). 

I broke the coffee pot the other day, and it nearly caused a riot.  I was really nervous, this is not a coffee free crew that hangs out here.  I broke out our “party perk” a little version of the monster coffee makers in most church kitchens.  It makes 22 cups at a time, and now I am only making 2 pots a day, down from about the 6 I was making with the now dead coffee maker.   We have gone through almost 4 pounds of coffee beans in the last 2.5 weeks.

What happens when you let the kids plan the party…

menu:

Scrambled eggs

Chocolate potato cake

Doritos

Pears

Chicken noodle soup

Cream soda

Monkey bread

entertainment:

We listened to a lot of Weird Al (think Amish Paradise, White and Nerdy, Weasel Stomping Day, Pretty Fly for a Rabbi). 

All the kids are getting new toothbrushes as party favors.

 Bet you wish you were here!

Garlic, it really does go with everything…

even chocolate cake. 

Not kidding here, I made Broder’s birthday cake today (we had a little party with another family).  He had asked for just 3 things for his birthday:

The love of his family

Mama’s chocolate potato cake

and “Lord of the Rings battle for middle earth 2, collectors edition” computer game. 

 

So I made the cake.  This cake calls for 1 cup of mashed potatoes in the batter.  As we had leftover mashed potatoes from dinner last night, I thought I would just use those, rather than making more.  (before you get too impressed, I need to confess that I ONLY make mashed potatoes from a box, I really can’t make them any other way, I have tried and always end up with a gray gluey mess, so, no more, it is flakes for me).

I took the potatoes from the fridge, set them on the counter to get to room temp (the recipe says this is very important, I just do as they say). 

Adding the potatoes is the last step.  Just as the potatoes hit the bowl I remembered:

Those were garlic mashed potatoes. 

 And not just a little garlic either, as anyone who has ever been subjected to my cooking knows I subscribe to the “there is no such thing as too much garlic” camp. 

Oh no!

Oh well!

into the oven it went.  Garlic and all. 

An hour later it looked as good as ever.  (and truthfully, this cakes usually looks pretty good). 

So I turned it out onto the cake stand and set it in the middle of the table, hoping that if it looked like a masterpiece…

And what do you know,  2 C sugar, 5 eggs, 1C butter,  melted bittersweet chocolate/honey mixture and a dash of black pepper can override a whole lot of garlic. 

 want the recipe?

Alaska, one week in…

It has been a whirlwind, this first week back in Alaska.  It has been good.  From the moment we stepped off the plane it has been busy and fun and exhausting. 

Some dear friends met us at the airport, Harry is a police officer and met me right at the gate.  Cheri, his wife, met us just after security.  I am sure that the other passengers on my flight were wondering what was going on.  The police escort to baggage claim probably made a couple of them a bit nervous. 

Broder got to ride in the police car to the station, where all the kids then took a ride in a fire truck.  Not a bad way to spend their first 2 hours in Alaska. 

Then it was out to the MatSu valley, where we lived before.  A home cooked meal and a late night visiting session rounded out our first day.

Friday we headed off to a Farmers’ market and checked out a couple of new shops in the area.  Then it was back to Anchorage for the kids and me.  We met the landlord and got the official tour of our new house and all it’s little secrets. 

An hour after that, some more friends came up to spend the night.  We hadn’t seen each other in 5 years, since Sunny was a baby, and they have had 2 more kids since then.  It was great to catch up and watch the kids play.  We ate pizza off paper plates and had a wonderful time.

Saturday, after a morning of visiting with our friends (and one run to Home Depot to pick up a much needed plunger), it was back out to the Valley.  Stayed with our friends Julia and Tyde.  They have 4 kids, 3 of whose ages line up with our kids. Driving up to their house, it was as if I had been the last week, not 6 years ago.  The kids played and played and played, and Julia and I drank wine and talked and talked and talked. 

Sunday, off to church at MatSu Covenant, our Alaska church home.  Things have changed there a bit, there is a new building, a different pastor and some new faces, but the same old love.  It was wonderful to worship there once again. 

Sunday afternoon took us to a wedding reception.  And then to visit with our friends the Becks.  It was an afternoon and evening filled with 5 kids, 3 horses, 6 dogs, 2 cats.  The kids rode horses, and the adults, you guessed it, talked and talked and talked.  Drank some coffee, a glass of wine, and talked some more. 

Monday we were tired.  Ran around Anchorage a bit, ordered some school clothes, wrote thank you cards, got my library card. 

Tuesday was a big big day.  The movers came and unloaded all our stuff.  It was a bit overwhelming.  Dave came home and some more friends came by.  Sandy and Shawn.  They were passing through Anchorage on their way to go sheep hunting.  Again, it was like it was yesterday the last time we were all together. 

Wednesday.  Boxes, boxes, boxes.  At least 100 boxes unpacked today, and probably that many more to go through tomorrow.  The kids all have beds to sleep on, and their books are now on their shelves.  Tonight we ate our first home-cooked meal in our new house.  Salmon.  Imagine that.

Tomorrow the kids will register for schoool and we will unpack more boxes.  Probably make a a few trips to the grocery store to pick up that one more thing we forgot, or couldn’t ship.

From the mouth of my babe…

 

Dave spent a bit of time today “resting” on the couch.  When he awoke, he sat up and said “I just want to sit here and not do anything.”

Sunny’s response:  “That’s not very self-sacrificing and generous”. 

About 1/2 hour later, when we all stopped laughing, Dave made dinner.  How very self sacrificing and generous.

I am not a good Alaskan anymore…

maybe I never really was.

  I am tired of the snow this year.  I know, I know, how can I say this?  I grew up in Minnesota, moved to Alaska as a young thing of 20, how can I be tired of snow?  I have professed my love of winter a hundred ways.  How many times have I told the curious that the long winters of the far North did not bother me, nay, I LOVED them.  Countless times.

Whatever. 

As I sit here now, in Madison, it is 48 degrees and raining.  The weather forecast tells me that by morning it will be about 29, and snowing.  So we are getting more snow. 

Yippee. 

Maybe, if I am lucky, there will be freezing rain for a couple of hours before the snow starts falling, and then we can have all sorts of fun with snow on top of ice.

Again.

I think tomorrow I will make some banana bread, with toasted coconut, and pretend I live in the tropics. 

Goodnight. 

Sunny the enforcer…

On Fridays, Sunny and I volunteer in the lunchroom at Kjell and Broder’s school.  It is a fun little adventure each week, and Sunny has become something of a celebrity.  Kids in all grades come through the lunch-line and greet her.  During each of the 3 lunch periods she has someone with whom to sit and visit. 

But, it is not all fun and games, oh no, there is work to be done…

Sometimes Sunny helps wipe tables after the kids leave.  Sometimes she makes the “Don’t forget to pick up your milk” announcement over the lunchroom PA system.  Sometimes she helps the “lunch lady” collect the kids lunch tickets.  Sometimes she helps hand out milk.  It is all very exciting.

2 weeks ago, her role changed. 

On the menu was baked cheese ziti, and the ever popular mushy peas. 

One little 2nd grader was not pleased about the peas, perhaps the texture upset him, and before anything could be done a handful of the little green blobs were volleyed across the table where he sat. 

Sunny marched right up to him, one little hand on her hip, the other extended, finger pointed straight at this boy’s face, and she says:

“Do we throw peas in here? I don’t THINK so!”