nailed it

"The kids are all off to school", I said to myself.

"I'll make a treat", I said to myself.

"I'll make no-bake cookies", I said to myself.

"I'll jazz 'em up a bit", I said to myself.



So, I thought to myself, "Self, wouldn't it be yummy to add chocolate chips and chunky peanut butter to the no-bake cookies?"  "Why yes, I think it would."



That's how all these stories start...

muffin top

I like a simple recipe. A recipe that doesn't make me think too much in the morning.  A recipe where the instructions don't require too much brain power before I've had anything to eat.  If you are like me, this muffin recipe is for you.  It's a recipe for the Domestic goddesses or gods whichever the case might be. 

 

frugal vs cheap

When we moved, we gave back a bunk bed to friends that gave it to us since we weren't going to need it anymore.  We gained space and lost beds.  So I hit the D.I.

If you don't know what that store is you must not be from Utah or Idaho, but I digress.

I found a day bed.  It was originally going to be 25 bucks (that reminds me of a joke),

frozen

 Here's winter where I live...

change change change...

Change is good.

We're like a muscle.  We have to be ripped in order to grow.

Comfort zone, schmumfert zone.

So we moved.


 

sittin' the bench

I made a bench.

This is quite possibly the easiest project I've ever done.

This bench is for our beloved homemade kitchen table.  We've been talking about making a bench for about as long as we've had the table. The pro of a bench is that is makes for more effective clean up. So instead of sweeping around 12 legs you sweep around four.  Con is that two or three people sit on one stationary bench and can't adjust it to their likes.

We had some lumber in our back yard from a project that my step son deconstructed for me and I just went for it.  Now I can get rid of three chairs.  It's part of my minimalist movement. *snort*

low tide

 Brian sent some phone camera shots from this morning's low tide beauty.

After yesterdays rant I owe you that much... ;)

renting Alaska

So we're learning that finding a house to rent in Ketchikan AK is THE most frustrating and ridiculous experience so far in our Alaskan Adventure.

We've had two different parties turn us down because we have five children.  Well they are children, not animals.  It's hard not to feel discriminated against when they tell you "sorry you have too many children".

My husband looked at a place that was priced right, but is a crap hole run down duplex and when he asked about whether the owner was going to do anything about the black mold and water damage the realtor told him, he didn't know what the owner was going to do and, "well that's Ketchikan for ya."

Finding a place to live that we can afford is starting to be a nightmare...

I called a realtor myself and she tried two different ways to get me to look elsewhere to find places to live.  If you don't want my business, fine, we'll look elsewhere.  That's pretty simple.

I fully understand why there is a T.V. show called Buying Alaska.  It's so ridiculous it's fodder for a reality show.

Well, my peeps, this Alaskan Adventure has hit a major bump in the road and the alignment is now way off.

To Be Continued...

I can't believe it's butter

So before the hubby left for AK we were going to make butter, for fun, but the cream got lost and forgotten about in the fridge.

I saw the cream and got it out and started making butter and then realized that the expiration date was today's date.  Phew!  Nick of time baby!  Nick. Of. Time.

I have a Tupperware thingy that I've used before to make butter and it was working just fine...

cream, Tupperware thingy, salt

kid powering the Tupperware thingy

the beginnings of butter

... but then I got an idea...

alaska marine highway

The Ferry is booked!






Let me just say...gettin' to the land of the North ain't cheap.  But hey, we did say we were going to go on a cruise someday...
So at the beginning of next month we are going on a cruise. ;) Yay!

I wonder if they have a kids club...

No?

hmmmmm...

Well, this is what we get to look forward to ...