Reino, I'm not quite sure why you were having trouble uploading this..  I will have Frans call you later to walk you through it to see what's going on..
Jenny

A quick trip to the Range after going to Babbitt first.

Time for Heidi to go to get more feed
Checking to see how the turkeys are
doing.  Should we butcher them for Thanksgiving.  I'm really afraid of the big tom.

Picked up 34 # gr. beef and 13 doz eggs for the Manor residents.  Got in on a good
pork roast supper.  Ruth enjoyed the trip but we can't talk her into going with us to AZ
and TX.

A Quick FYI

I had talked to some of you about Ivan and I having an Open House this October to show off our almost finished house.  Well, we decided to put it off until spring.  We were hopeing to have at least the first floor done, but that isn't going to happen before October.  Ivan wasn't expecting to be working 6-7 days a week for the last two months, therefore not getting a lot done on the house.  So we are going to work really hard this winter to finish as much as we can, then we will be sending out an Open House invite in the spring!

~MISSI~

We're here ... we're alive ...

and we're well.

I'll let Jen share her pictures of Alaska ... but I'll bet she doesn't have this one!

Our world is starting to see more of these on the ground ...

while you can still find a few of these as well!

Greetings from Alaska!

the wknd in Alaska part 1

Flew into Anchorage at noon on Thursday. Picked up the rental car and took off for Fiarbanks. Stopped many times on the way to walk around and snap pictures. This is one of many! Amber (Wuollet) Laulainen had told me that the leaves are starting to change and the drive should be gorgeous, and how right she was! Near the road the yellow, gold and orange were bright and the hillsides were bright red. No picture could capture the beauty (at least not with my camera) so often I didn't even try. There were two things that I have wished to see sometime when I venture up there, to see a moose in that state and to see Mt. McKinley. I was able to see both.

While in Fairbanks, I spent a couple nights at the Super 8. One of the employees saw me looking at a map and questioned if I needed help with finding anything. Told him I was simply seeing where I should go first and wondered if he had any ideas. He told me of Chena Hot Springs, though I decided against going there this time, but... among other ideas he told me where to find the pipeline visiting center. I got in the car and started driving. The fog lifted just about a mile away so I could see this vast thing! 

10 minutes from Fairbanks is North Pole, Alaska! While in the gift shop you will be able to visit with Santa and have him send a letter to your loved ones if you wish. His reindeer are near by and are pretty photogenic so spent time snapping pictures of them as well. I went to the Visitor Center there in town and was fortunate that an elderly woman was working who wanted to talk about the town. There were at least a dozen things she recommended I see, if I had time, and was able to see all of it! Wheter you drive down St. Nicholas drive or Mistletoe Lane or eat at Elf's Diner you are surrounded by Christmas all through the year. Wendy's in town, has christmas decorations up at all times!

As I said earlier, I had wanted to see a moose while in Alaska. On the nature trail in North Pole, I was able to see this mamma and her baby.

While on the internet, before going there, I read about this museum. For any of you who find architecture amazing...you would find this place interesting. The design of the outside is amazing, but seeing the layout inside was even more so. Saw some amazing art, learned alot about difficult things in history and watched a show on what makes the northern lights. I spent a couple hours there, but could easily have spent more!

Been a while...

Its been a while since I've posted on here.

I just spent Labor Day weekend in Staples, MN (actually Browerville, 20? miles from Staples)  A motocross track there had a two day race weekend.  The original plan, was for Jade and Cole to go with me, but with the first day of school being Tuesday, Jade, after a lot of torn thinking, decided that she had better stay home to prepare for it.  I ended up going alone.

A track I had never been to (generally it takes me far too log to 'learn' a new track), so I rode as much as possible during the Saturday practice.  Saturday evening, I went to Brainerd and spent the night at Mother and Isa's.  After Isa made me breakfast on Sunday morning, I made my way back to the track for some racing.  Motocross is raced in a two race format...  meaning you race two races, they add up the scores to get the overall score.  Of course I was racing the the senior citiz...  err  I mean the Senior class (only people over 40 qualify to race in it)...  Although I was pretty un-impressed with my riding performance...  it was good enough to get a 1st in each moto, for...  yep, a first overall.

Sunday night, back to Brainerd for the night, had a nice evening chatting with Pauline and her husband, Ruthy, and I don't remember what the other young ladies name was...

Monday morning after another breakfast fit for a king made by Isa, I headed back to the track for the second day of racing.  The second day went better than the first (same finish, 1st place in each race) but my riding was much better (although it was nowhere near where I think it should be).

I had the option to either bring trophies or t-shirts home for winning the races, but I thought that Jade would like to see the trophies.  She put in a lot of hard thinking and considering before deciding that she couldn't go.  So I told her I was bringing a couple of presents home for her.

Photo's of the 'presents' are below (if I can figure out how to post a picture)

Hello again everybody!  My two oldest started school on Monday, so now I have a short break during nap time to check my email and the blog.  Sarah started 4th grade and Molly started 2nd, when I started here Sarah was in preschool and Molly was home with me all day.  I will be five years next week that I have nannied for Sarah and Molly.  They started a new school this year, luckily it is the same one my sister works at, so they get to see her and that made the transition easier for them. 

At the house, things are moving along slowly.  I can't complain much because Ivan has been working 6-7 days a week for at least the last month.  This weekend Ivan actually gets Saturday AND Sunday night off, so he is going to replace the stairs.  Unfortunately that is not something that we planned on doing in the begining, but oh well, the stairs do need to replaced sometime.  The first floor is done except for flooring and trim.  The second floor is a bit more behind.  The study is done (except for the trim and light fixure), and the loft and one of the bedrooms are painted.  We just put the casing and trim on the three windows in the dinning room.  They look really nice! 

Soon we will be getting new appliances in the kitchen, we just have to schedule a delivery date.  We are getting a new fridge, a dishwasher, an over the stove microwave/hood, and a stove.  I can't wait until I can load the dishwasher instead of having to wash everything by hand!

Well, back to work,
~MISSI~