Baby's First: Sort-of First Steps

V is toddling around now and it's scary for me. I never imagined that I would have a toddler ALREADY! He's not walking alone but he will use the edge of anything he can reach-the couch, chairs, kitchen table, my cabinets, his parents, laundry baskets, and even the dog! (though that only was an attempt...she moved away too quick) Still those first unassisted steps aren't too far in the future. Just another reminder that my little boy is growing up.

Reminder

For those of you who contribute to the Tightwad Round Robin, any contributions for the Spring issue are due in April. I talked to the editor Helen today and neither of us could remember if the due date is April 1st or April 15th so I would guess that letters received in early April will be included.

(For those who have never heard of the Tightwad Round Robin, it's a biannual collection of "tightwad tips, gardening, recipes, etc" sent in by the readers. As the cover always proclaims "NO TIP TOO TIGHT OR TOO TRIVIAL". Cost is $2 and you have to share your tips and tricks. Contact me for information on where to send your tips.)

Busy, busy boy

I had to run to town today and among my lengthy list of errands was to stop at the grocery store. Since we are trying to incorporate more salads into our diet, I stocked up on tomatoes and lettuce. When I arrived home, L needed his supper so he could head to barn and I, being the nice wife I am, neglected to finish putting my groceries away in order to feed my hubby. After L left for chores, I was indisposed for a few moments with feeding the puppies and bringing in the last few bags from the van. When I walked back into the kitchen, V was happily sitting amongst the previously full grocery bags. My salad fixings, tomato sauce cans, and Cheerio box were spread haphazardly around the floor and V had spent a few minutes test-tasting a few things. There are now chomp marks in every..single..tomato.. Not sure if he liked the flavor or not but he tried them all.

I suppose I should be thankful that he hasn't learned how to climb or walk unassisted yet.

Speed Zone Ahead

If you come visit us in the near future, we currently have a speed zone on our driveway. There isn't a sign posted but the speed limit is set at 15 mph. Anything faster and you may end up digging yourself into a mudhole you can't drive out of. I no longer have a driveway. It's a quarter mile swamp and the water level is rising fast in some spots. Another few warmish days and I bet you could go fishing in the 'pond'. Just be careful you don't float away!

Seriously, it's kind of an 'Enter At Your Own Risk' situation right now. I will say that the four puppies we have left are worth the effort of our driveway. :)

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

So we are home. It feels so good to be back in our usual routine and sleeping in our own bed again. I miss AK but MN is nice too. Our trip home was somewhat eventful, filled with mishaps that will make for a good giggle when we tell the tale in the future. A left behind suitcase, a forgotten pacifier, no extra clothes for V, and a flat tire on the plane made for an interesting day to say the least. However, we made it home safe and sound so that's got to count for something. Hopefully I can post some pictures of our vacation sometime soon. While reading my previous post, L pointed out that I forgot to mention that the glacier we drove to was the Matanuska Glacier and the P is NOT a charter captain. He just happens to own a REALLY nice boat. He's actually a contractor.

In other news, we desperately (well, not really) need to find homes for four ADORABLE puppies. If anyone is interested, let me know. They are so sweet and cute and cuddly...You'll love them!

Final Update from Up North

Well, my week vacation is nearly over and done. It went by way too quickly for my tastes but I had a ton of fun! So here's a recap of my weeks events.

-Visited with all of the family in AK. Sis T, hubby B, kids B, K, A. Sis A, hubby T, son O. Sis R. It was so fun to see everyone!

-Got regular updates on the Iditarod. It's cool how much of a following the race has. I would love to be up here for the start of it sometime.

-X-country skiied on Hatcher Pass, L lost his checkbook (luckily an honest person found it), and got some really awesome pictures of the scenery up there. L is currently heading out for some downhill skiing up that way with B. Hope they have fun!

-Toured Palmer and drove up the glacier. It was a very pretty drive and the glacier was gorgeous. Chilly to stand outside but I got some cool pictures anyway.

-Drove down to Homer for a night. We visited P and his family. P captains his own charter fishing boat but blew out his knee so he couldn't take us out on the water. He was able to line up a charter with his neighbor and buddy R, though, so a few of us went fishing Sunday morning. It was my first time fishing for King Salmon and despite only getting one salmon the whole day, the trip was well worth it. I only caught ones that went back in the water, but at least I caught something! I can't wait to go again!

-Enjoyed a yummy breakfast at A's house. She's a wiz in the kitchen and whipped out crepes, waffles, and scrambled eggs. I was stuffed! Wish I could cook like that. Maybe she'll give me lessons sometime...

-Packing up to leave now. As sad as it is, we fly out tomorrow AM. This week went by way to quickly and it'll be hard to leave this beautiful place. I am all the more determined to come back up here sometime. We had great company, tons of yummy food (salmon pizza anyone?), took tons of pictures, enjoyed a few dates without V, had new experiences, and toured a small portion of this amazing state. Still, even though it's hard to leave, I'm glad to be heading back to MN too. It's home-family, cows, farm, chores, and all.

So, Goodbye Alaska. It was fun to visit and someday we'll be back.

But, Hello Minnesota. It'll be great to be home.

Second Update from Up North

We went down to Homer on Saturday and I was in awe of the whole drive. The views are just spectacular up here! Mountains everywhere and the water is so blue...*Sigh* I could stay here for longer than a week. We went and wandered around on the beach, toured a crazy little bookstore with books stacked literally EVERYWHERE, and visited with Phil, a friend in the area. He's a captain but unfortunately, he blew out his knee and couldn't take us out fishing. Instead, he lined up a fishing trip for a few of us with his buddy Ron. It was a blast! I kept catching fish that had to be thrown back but it was great anyway. In the course of the weekend, I learned a few things.

-Mountain views are gorgeous no matter where they are.
-There are still honest people in the world and one of them just returned our lost checkbook.
-Homeade seafood chowder tastes AMAZING!
-I married into a very STRANGE family...but I knew that before I married L.

Update from Up North

We made it to Alaska with little difficulty. V fussed a bit on the last leg of our flight but soon fell asleep. We went skiing and sightseeing at Hatcher Pass today and have a few other fun things planned for the rest of our stay here. It's so beautiful up here...I can see why so many people come for a visit or to stay. Even L has mentioned that he wouldn't mind moving up here and farming! It's not something we are currently considering but it's certainly a tempting thought. I have a feeling I am going to be dreaming of AK for a long time after we get back to MN.

Puppies for FREE!

Yes, Mindy had her annual batch of pups several weeks ago. We currently need homes for five ADORABLE puppies. There are three girls and two boys, mostly black with white on the belly and paws. One female has brown markings similar to Mindy. They are weaned and ready to go anytime. Our camera has dead batteries otherwise I would post pictures.

Quantities are limited so reserve your pup TODAY!

From Our Farm: Demo Day

If you are in town and would like to sample some really yummy yogurt this afternoon/early evening, stop by the local grocery store (J&B) and see me! L, V, and me are all going to be there doing an in-store demo of Organic Valley pourable yogurt. We've got all kinds of goodies and coupons for give-away too.

Hope to see you there!