Night Owl
20 May 2012 4 Comments
in Personal notes Tags: alaska, eyes, gardening, night owl, outdoors, prescription sunglasses, summer, Sun, sunglasses
Even though I have always worked really hard at being awake during the day time so I can enjoy the sunshine these days I find myself hiding from it. My eyes are horrible! I think I’m turning into a vampire or something. Maybe a hybrid of some sort so instead of going up in flames in sunlight my eyes just feel like they are. The last couple of days have been beautiful but I stayed in my room in the dark. I can’t stand to have the light on or look at a lit screen for long. I’ve been reading by the little slit of light that comes from the edge of the curtain in my room and listening to music. I can’t wait until I get my crazy prescription sunglasses! I have been putting the drops in my eyes like the doctor ordered but my eyes still burn. I just want to fill the tub with ice water and stick my head it and open my eyes.
Yesterday I ended up sleeping most of the day since the allergy meds make me tired. After the sun with down (as far as it goes here in Alaska) I went out and took my dog for a stroll through the park and played around in my garden a tiny bit. After the walk I didn’t have much energy left. Today I slept a lot but woke up around 1pm. I came out to hang out with the family but couldn’t handle the light so I retreated back to my room – and the dark. I realized there isn’t much to do in my room. I really don’t spend much time in there. I got out my Kindle and played with that some. I can read for a while with the screen set to a yellow background but then I have to take a break from it to rest my eyes. I forgot how much I love my Kindle fire! I read, played games, read some more, listened to some audio files, looked at every single app available on there and then read some more. UGH, I was so bored. I couldn’t crochet or knit or anything like that because my eyes were blurry and it was dark. I listened to my husband hanging out with the boys though. I love him so much for being such a good dad. He was going to go out with some friends but decided to stay home instead and hang out with the boys. They watched movies and played cards. They play Magic the Gathering and between the three of them they probably have enough of those cards to fill a small room. I love listening to them all laugh though.
My husband and the guys made dinner and I really wished I could have eaten at the table with them but I just couldn’t. There are a lot of windows in the living room/kitchen area- my favorite thing about this house actually. One of my boys brought me dinner in bed with a big glass of orange juice. They made chicken fettuccine and garlic bread. I’m so blessed with such a wonderful family.
After a while the sun went down and I went outside and tried to dig around in my garden. I put my seedlings out and set a timer to remind me to take them in. I need to harden them off still or the wind and cool air will kill them. It was surprisingly warm out though! I thought I could work in my garden until the timer went off but after a little shoveling and a lot of swatting at the mammoth mosquitoes I was beat! I looked at the timer and it had only been 12 minutes! I went inside for a little rest and then went back out and worked a few minutes in the back yard. I got tired again and went back inside to rest and then the timer finally went off so I could bring the plants in. I’ll do a little more tomorrow. The guys and I (hopefully are going to do some yard work. I found my husband’s sunglasses so hopefully I can stand being outside so I can direct them. While I was in my room playing on the Kindle I made some “to-do” lists with an app. Since the boys are home from school I am going to put them to work.
It really is frustrating to have to hide from the sun after waiting all winter for it.
Valentine’s Day
14 Feb 2012 1 Comment
in gardening, Personal notes Tags: alaska, cooperative extension, cooperative extension office, gardening, garlic, growing garlic, hair appointment, manicure, massage chairs, nails, pedicure, seeds, valentine s day, valentines day, weather
My husband asked for Valentine’s Day off and they gave him Tuesday and Wednesday off too. We were going to do all kinds of fun stuff today and he ended up having to go to work. I was so bummed but I still had a good day and we still have tomorrow. My husband told me to go make an appointment to get my nails done…. all of them. He told me about a new place he saw that had a sign advertising a special deal on a manicure and pedicure. I couldn’t believe it when he told me – $32 for both. Here in Alaska prices are higher and it usually cost that much for one. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised! The man was very nice and I enjoyed talking to him while I was there. They have great massage chairs and I was in heaven! He was also really excellent at massage. I have never had that great a pedicure! He took extra time since there was no one waiting. Then he did my nails (I don’t do artificial nails) and he did a great job! My hands are so soft! I love being pampered.
My husband finally called me when I was finished up and I went to pick him up and we went to lunch at the Thai House! That is my favorite! He told me to call and make a hair appointment for tomorrow and we are going to do our running around town then. Hopefully work will not ruin our day again!
It was a beautiful day too. It has warmed up to around 30 above F and it was sunny and beautiful. I didn’t have any pain from the cold today. Hopefully the cold weather is over for this year.
I called the Cooperative Extension office at the University and got some info on growing garlic and composting. I also found out about a gardening class that I’m going to sign up for tomorrow. I want to learn how to grow plants from seeds and have a vegetable and herb garden. I tried that last year but didn’t have a lot of success.
I hope everyone had a happy Valentine’s Day or just a good Tuesday.
Too cold for the birds
15 Jan 2012 4 Comments
in Crochet, Personal notes, Photos Tags: alaska, bird feeder, bookcrossing, books, chase scene, cold, cowboy type, graphic scenes, hot cocoa, photography, winter, wool eater
It is -40 F and the whole area is engulfed in a thick ice fog. Not the kind that floats in the air over a stretch of road and you can see the top and bottom of it…… this ice fog is everywhere. When I look outside it looks like the air is white…. like thick white smoke. I think it is frozen…. I didn’t dare go outside. I decided it was a great day (or days) to stay inside and sip hot cocoa or tea while snuggled under a warm blanket reading a book. I took this picture through my window. It looks more clear up close but the camera just doesn’t pick it up very well. If you look at the tall trees in the background you can see it better.
The snow on the smaller bird feeder is causing the hook to tip a little.
Yesterday I added another stripe to my Wool-Eater blanket. I chose purple. I usually ask my husband what he thinks 
and he thought the blue against the pink was a bit too much and thought I should go with colors that were more closely related. I think it looks nice. Now I just have to decide what color to use next.
I finally finished my book called The Chase by Clive Cussler. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the second book which looks even better. It isn’t often I find a book that I really like that doesn’t have a curse or two and some really graphic sex scenes.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a good mystery with a cowboy type hero although he had no horse. He drove a fast car. I really enjoyed all of the historic details that were woven in with the story. This story has a western feel and is captivating even without cursing and graphic scenes. Once I got half way though the book there was no putting it down until the end. The “chase” scene made you feel like you were on board…..
One of my resolutions was to read 12 books that I already have and pass them on some how….. now I have to decide how. I might just add it to my bookcrossing wild releases.
Wool-eater blanket
11 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in Personal notes, Photos Tags: alaska, beautiful sky, conversion chart, creative project, crochet, headband, memories, new years resolution, photography, sky, snow, wool eater
You can click that photo to see it larger. The sky is so pretty and it has been so long since I could see it! I took two pictures today and had a really hard time choosing which one to use for my 365 Project. The one at the top has a beautiful sky but I think this one is really the best.
It actually warmed up! Yesterday it got to around 13 degrees F and now it is 5 degrees. I have to admit I was actually thinking about slipping out to go to Joann’s since it is soooooo horribly close to me. But, I remembered my new years resolution and decided against it…for now. I’m supposed to be using up my stash and I have a lot!!!
So my next creative project is a CAL (crochet-a-long) and I’m making the wool-eater blanket from Sarah London’s website which will help me use up some of my stash. I have already learned something new. UK and. US crochet stitches are not the same. I found a conversion chart here.
So when she says to work a “dtr or double treble” she means to work a triple crochet or trc. Also a dc/double crochet is really a sc/single crochet.
I also learned something else….. or rather I finally caught on to something. I noticed in Teresa’s (crochet geek) video for the headband I just made that she wrapped the yarn around her hook counter-clockwise… the opposite way I do. I don’t know if I was taught to wrap my yarn that way or if I just did it that way but I wondered why she did it differently. Well, I remember hating triple crochet because the extra wraps never want to come off and I have to grab them with my fingers to move them over to the hook. I was thinking maybe this was the wrong pattern for me because this was going to take me forever! That is when I had my AH-HAH moment. I realized if I wrapped the yarn counter-clockwise like Teresa did that the loops slip over much easier! So now that I know what I’m doing I’m getting started with the same yarn I just finished making my headband with. That will be my first stripe. Now I just have to get the hang of changing something that is so ingrained in my head that I could do it in my sleep. Anyway, I’ll take pictures as I go. This blanket will be for Project Linus and will go to a little one at the hospital. If you know how to crochet or knit, or even tie fleece you can make a blanket for a child too. You can find a Project Linus Representative in your area by clicking here. If you are in Fairbanks, Alaska that would be me. :O)
The NaBloPoMo prompt for today is a challenge to my memory.
Who was your first friend?
Well, I think that would be my sister. I was always close to my sister when I was little until she left home when I was 5. I was brokenhearted when she left. My sister is the oldest and 13 years older than me. She is still the one I call when I’m down and need a pick-me-up because she is really good at that. What surprises me is that even though she left home and the state when I was 5 and I didn’t see her growing up we are still very much alike. We like the same things. When I went to GA for my (our) mom’s funeral I discovered that we made our coffee the EXACT same way. I don’t drink coffee anymore but I used to be very particular about how it was made and no one could make my coffee…. until then. We carry the same lip-gloss in our purses and were wearing the same shoes. The only difference is I was born a tomboy. I didn’t want anything to do with pink or purple, ruffles, lace or bows…. and my sister was all of that. Now that I’m older I’ve found that I like pink and purple but still wont wear ruffles, lace, or bows!
Snow
04 Jan 2012 9 Comments
in Photos Tags: alaska, book, clive cussler, fence, goodreads, iphone, itunes, music, new years, resolutions, snow
It’s only -26 F outside right now… brrr. I actually went outside for a minute because I really wanted to take a good picture for my picture project. I bundled up in my huge puppy parka and probably looked like a freak outside in my furry hooded parka, pink pajama pants and fuzzy black house slippers. I took several pictures but the sky is really kinda grey and clouded over. I ended up using this one… I really like the wood grain. It’s not a bad picture considering I used my iphone.
The first thing on my new years list that I’ve been really focusing on is sorting through my music. I’m going through my itunes list. My husband has the whole house networked and moved everyone’s music into one place. My last computer suddenly fried so when he set up my itunes on this one he dumped ALLLLLLLL of the music into it. Many of the files are duplicated….sometimes 3 or 4 times. Now I know that means that there are probably duplicate FILES that are taking up space but I’m not taking that on right now. I’m just trying to put some order to my music, get rid of all the crappy music I didn’t download and change all the genre’s to what I like them to be. I don’t need 500 different genres. It’s actually been fun listing to music the past several days…..except for when I’ve spaced out and not really been listening for the last hour or so and have to go back. I’ve deleted a lot already and I’ve found some damaged files. I have learned that I really detest R&B but that I just can’t delete Alicia Keys. I just wonder who downloaded that if I didn’t hmmmmm? I’ve also been going through paper stuff still. I ended up taking a huge siesta yesterday and not finishing. I need to get my table back.
I did start reading a book. One of the things on my list is to read one book that I already have every month and to then part with said book. I’m reading The Chase by Clive Cussler. A friend of mine was reading some of his books and commented in goodreads.com how great they were. I checked them out and they look really good….all of them. I have this crazy hang up that I can’t read a book out of order even if the books don’t have to be read in order like these. I also want to have every book in a series before I start. In the case of Clive Cussler he has several different series that all look good so I have been hording his books trying to complete the entire collection before I start reading. So I have this copy paper box full of his books and I still don’t have them all because I’m broke and buying them all second hand. The first book I grabbed was actually “The Wrecker”. It has a really interesting cover and I thought it was the first in that series. I grabbed it and a cup of tea and ran a hot bath. I got cozy and opened the book and read the quick synopsis on the first page. Then, right below that was this reviewer saying the previous book was really good. UGH, I got the wrong book. I tried to talk myself into reading it anyway since everyone has told me they can be read in any order but no…. I had to get up, grab my robe and find the right book. So far The Chase is looking really good.
My journal isn’t finished yet because I need my table. I have pieces and parts and really want to work on it. I’ve got a lot to do. It’s a good thing I have a whole year.
Jan 1
01 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in Personal notes, Photos Tags: air circulation, alaska, day of the year, fireworks, fuel light, moon roof, new years, new years eve, top of the hill, Trace Adkins, UAF
Well this day did not go as planned. It’s the first day of the year and I was going to do all kinds of things like go to church, finish a project I’m crocheting, paint, draw, organize……. but I couldn’t even get out of bed until around 6 pm. I am sure it was the cold from yesterday. Riley wanted to go watch the fireworks at UAF. It is really cold here right now but we went. When it is this cold you can’t keep the car warm inside. The cold air just creeps in. If you turn off the air circulation in the car it will get warmer but the windows fog up and that makes driving difficult… plus, people would think we were making out with a kid in the car. Awkward.
This was New Years Eve at about 8pm
My oldest didn’t want to go so we just left him at home. There was a LOT of traffic! At first we got a really sweet spot parked right across the road from where they were shooting off the fireworks. My car has a moon roof so Riley was in the back seat watching the fireworks through that window. Then we noticed that the fuel light was on. We knew we had a half a tank of gas but the car was sitting at an angel at the side of the road. It was way too cold to risk having the car die so we pulled out of that spot which I’m sure was quickly taken. There were cars lining both sides of the roads and even along the exits and anywhere you could see the fireworks from. As soon as we got flat again the fuel light went off and the needle moved up to show we actually had gas. *phew* We ended up driving away from that area (since we thought we were going to have to go get gas) and then we turned and drove up the hill and around the back of the university. We ended up finding this even better spot where we could see the fireworks up close. 
Up on top of the hill they looked even bigger and we didn’t have to crane our necks to look up. The only bad thing was there were lights all over the place that made taking pictures hard. I wasn’t able to get many good pictures anyway since all I had was my iphone. Riley usually wants the camera to take pictures but right away he realized it was impossible to get a good shot. He really enjoyed the show though.
After the fireworks ended we went to eat at Brewsters. Everyone was cold and wanted something warm in their belly’s. Usually we would go to Denny’s but they were closed! Brewsters has great hamburgers! After that we stopped by Safeway and were surprised that they closed too. These are places that are always open… even on Christmas. So we just filled up the gas tank and went home.
One of the things I plan on doing this year is cleaning up my garage. It is full of stuff that I need to go through. Some of it is boxes from when we moved in 2004! That last couple days I had been bringing out a box or two to sort through and I found this old planner from 2004. 
I used to use these specific planners all the time since they were small and easily fit in my purse. By the end of the year they would be bulging with sticky notes, receipts, and other odd pieces of paper. I actually tapped an index card to one of the flaps to act as a pocket for things. The white label says “Donna’s Brain book” since without it I couldn’t remember a thing! Now of course I have my iphone but I miss having these little planners to write in. It is always interesting to look back at the end of the year and see all the things I’d already forgotten about. Just seeing an appointment for a dentist appointment for one of my boys would take me back to that time and I remembered the tears and talking them through it. So many years have passed since then and now there are no more tears. My boys are so big. I never would have thought I’d miss those frustrating moments but those were moments when they needed me. They don’t really need me anymore. It makes me think of that song by Trace Adkins….
This song always makes me cry because it makes me think of all the times I had to spend with my mom before she died. All the time when I had too many other things to do. And I do…. miss that.
Dream meanings?
13 Dec 2011 4 Comments
in Personal notes Tags: alaska, dream meanings, dreams, salmon
Someone’s gonna have to help me with this one!
I’ve been sick so I took some cold medicine and went to bed around 4pm and slept about 15 hours. I don’t usually remember dreams but this one I did. It was really…. odd. I dreamt that I came across a box of salmon left by some drunk fisherman. Okay, not so strange since this is Alaska but it was strange that they were in a box and not a cooler LOL So one of the salmon was flipping around a bit and so I hurried and put some water in the box. Apparently this was a special waterproof cardboard box. To my surprise the salmon began swimming around in the water. So I took it to work and put it in a plastic tub full of water and tried to hide it from everyone else. Then I left the room and came back to find out someone had dumped out the tub onto the floor and somehow the water from the tub was enough to fill the room to mid shin with the door open LOL It doesn’t make any since at all!! I was frantic trying to save the salmon when I woke up.
I wonder if I didn’t happen to live in Alaska if the box would’ve had puppies or kittens in it?
I could just imagine my husband’s face if I told him I brought home a stray Salmon. Honey, I’m going to need a bigger fish tank for Sammy here. I could just imagine him smack his hand to his face and say “God, please tell me I’m dreaming!”
haha, I crack myself up. I better go back to bed.
Wishy-Washy Weather and a little Pinterest Interest
05 Dec 2011 2 Comments
in Craftyness, Personal notes Tags: alaska, Fairbanks, pinterest, stocking stuffers, weather
I think mother nature can’t make up her mind what she wants to do right now. Just recently we climbed out of a cold snap of 45 below weather. Then, we got dumped on and could barely get out of the driveway because of all the snow. The trees were heavily laden with snow and it showered down from the branches and caught on the wind creating a curtain of white that blocked all vision. On Sunday when I went to church it was about 42 above and windy. The roads were wet and icy and it was a lot like driving on an ice skating rink. Before we heading home it had begun to rain. So the roads were much worse. The rain froze as it hit the ground and we took the back roads home going very slow. After I’d been home for a while I looked out the window and the snow fall was flying horizontally by my window at a really fast pace. The wind got so strong that I kept hearing things (probably branches and maybe a few cats and dogs) hitting my roof and side of the house. I was so scared that one of the large spruce trees would fall on my house or something would come through one of my windows. I hate that feeling! I always turn on some music to try to block out the screaming wind and smashing sounds from outside but just can’t shake the jumpy feeling and fear of the roof coming down on me. The tops of the large spruce trees in the park across the street were swishing back and forth reminding me of last march when two of those trees fell. The base of the trees were twisted and splintered. During that same storm several people had trees fall on their houses or on nearby power lines and I had candles ready for the many power outages we experienced.
Today, school has been canceled and the wind has lessened some. Usually they wait till 5am to decide to close school based on the rode conditions at that time but there was an accident recently involving a school bus where 6 students were injured so I think they are being extra cautious. I don’t blame them and I would much rather know my kids are at home and safe and sound. In the past, during dangerous weather like this, I would drive my kids to school myself rather than trust a stranger driving a long bus in dangerous conditions. Things seem so different this morning than they did yesterday. The trees at the park are now just swaying like giants nodding in agreement with one another. I think they are all happy to be free of their load of snow. There isn’t any snow left on the branches. The bare-limbed white paper birch standing in stark contrast to the dark spruce don’t sway nearly as much as the heavily cloaked spruce trees. They divide the darkness of the trees behind them into bite sized pieces with their thin white trunks. There is a fine glitter-like snow flying parallel to the ground but you have to look carefully to see it. At first glace it just looks grey outside.
The newspaper has a few article about the dangerous weather conditions.
I am going to snuggle up and stay inside. I am working on a crochet-edge fleece blanket to donate to the woman’s shelter for Christmas. On Saturday a bunch of ladies from my church and I went there to help decorate for Christmas. Someone made a bunch of fleece blankets for the children and several of us are providing lap blankets for the women. We are also providing stocking-stuffers and I decided that since it is easier to think of gifts for the younger kids I will be making some gifts for the older kids. The other day I made a flower pin that I learned about on http://pinterest.com/. It turned out really pretty and I just used things I already had on hand. I’m going to make some more to attach to hair bands and clips.
Source: sew4home.com via Donna on Pinterest
Another idea I may try depending on how much trouble it is
Source: raisingolives.com via Donna on Pinterest
And this just looks too fun not to try! Melted crayons poured into candy molds!
Source: homemadebyjill.blogspot.com via Donna on Pinterest
Frozen in Alaska
16 Nov 2011 2 Comments
in Personal notes, Uncategorized Tags: alaska, book, cold
Its pretty cold here right now. It is so cold that the tires on vehicles stay flat for a while where they were touching the frozen ground and you hear “clunk -clunk, clunk-clunk” for a while when you first start driving. I just stay home unless I just can’t avoid it because you either have to plug your vehicle in to keep it warm or leave it running. Most places don’t have places available for people to plug in since it costs so much in electricity. I rode with a friend to the Watercolor Society Meeting tonight so I didn’t have to deal with it. I got cold and never really could get warm. It was kind of chilly inside too so I kept putting on my coat and then taking it off when I got too hot. They were making Christmas Cards. There were a lot of great examples shown and some people brought in old Christmas cards for inspiration. I sketched out a bird house with a cardinal but never did paint anything because I just couldn’t get comfortable.
Well, as soon as I got in the door I went in my room and put on some footed pajamas! My feet are still cold but the rest of me is finally thawing out. My hands are hurting but I took some ibuprofen so it should start working pretty soon.
I found this video on youtube of an old song I remember hearing on the radio as a kid. Johnny Cash actually sang it with June Carter but I wanted to use the original version. The street scene that you see first on the video is here in Fairbanks where I live. That is very close to where I live actually and that is exactly how it looks right now. Foggy and cooooOOooold! The other pictures are from other areas in Alaska and some of the pictures of dancers were probably not even taken here in Alaska. I think someone likes girls in Red. Hmmm
The antibiotic the dentist put me on makes me really tired. Yeah, everything makes me tired. Dayquil makes me tired. I’m just sensitive to everything. I have to take it every 6 hours and shortly after taking it I end up falling asleep. I slept most of the day today and missed my watercolor lesson again! I think that makes 3 times in a row. I was able to show my watercolor teacher what I’d been painting though since he’s who I rode with tonight. He really liked my face I painted and my zentangle trees.
I don’t have any pictures of anything for today. I’m just so cold I want to curl up in my bed and finish my book. I’m almost finished with A Can of Peas by Traci Depree.
Oh, and one more sleep until my prince comes home! Tomorrow evening I’ll go pick him up at the airport!!! YAY!
Once upon a time…
05 Nov 2011 13 Comments
in Family, Personal notes Tags: alaska, cold, comfort food, daughter, death, memories, mom, sadness
…there was a princess who lived with her mother, the queen.
But the queen died and I so miss my mom. I have been thinking about her a lot lately – Falling back to crystal clear childhood memories of a beautiful smiling face with straight black hair that fell down her back like smooth satin. Her hair wasn’t like mine at all….. my hair is dark brown and fizzy if I’m not careful. Her hair was smooth and shiny – like a river of black flowing down her back. I remember how everyone asked her if she was greek and she would laugh. My mom was part Seminole indian and had this charitable heart of gold. The thing she loved most about receiving gifts was to give them again to someone who was down.
She died on Feb 16th, 2008 and the events of that day play over and over in my head like a movie I can’t stop. My mom was sick with colitis and we were all worried about her….. but people don’t die from colitis. My sister was driving to see her and talking to me on the phone (headset). My oldest brother was already there. My sister had just talked to him and had called me after and I remember that something she said made me suddenly worry. She told me I should just call and talk to them but I decided to wait till later. Not long after we hung up she called me back and I can still hear her voice yelling “Donna, mama died!” and next thing I knew I was crying uncontrollably into the kitchen linoleum. My husband picked me up and took me to bed and arranged everything….. He was a Godsend during that time.
Well, for some reason I’ve been thinking of her a lot these last few weeks. I actually dyed my hair black to see if I would look more like she did in my memories. I used a dye that washes out in 28 washes just in case I looked more like Elvira. Of course I don’t have the boobs for that though. I determined that it didn’t make much difference since I can still see my dad’s side of the family in me but for some reason my husband has been wanting me to wash my hair more often.
Last night I made myself some tomato soup with rice in it. My mom used to make that for me when I was not feeling well only she didn’t use Campbell’s soup and minute rice. It wasn’t the same but it was close. It made me cry and wish she were here so I could tell her I miss her.
Brrrr!
My husband I went out to run some errands today and I got cold again. It was pretty out though and the sky was mostly clear and the sun was bright! The frozen black branches of the birches glittered like they were coated in sugar. I love it when my husband drives and I can take pictures through the car window… sometimes I use them for paintings later and just omit things like telephone poles and taco bells banners.
I went by the library and picked up a book I’ve been wanting to read called Forgotten Household Crafts. It must be a good book because every time I tried to find it, it was already checked out. Or it was in North Pole. Maybe Mrs. Claus was reading it? 
There actually is a small town about 30 minutes from here called North Pole and it is decorated like Christmas all year around. Anyway, this time I wised up and put the book on hold and now it’s here waiting for me to read! For now I need to paint though… my brushes are calling me.
*Edit: My face painting is pretty much as finished as it’s going to get. I think it’s okay for a first painted face but I’m hoping to get better. I can’t wait to see what my watercolor teacher thinks of this one.
Finished face
This is later in the day when the sun was heading to bed
