Friday, December 21

Mail is from Wednesday's mail plane; the packages we picked up on Thursday along with a registerd letter from Santa (pictured in the middle bottom row) with a gift of money...Thank-you!

Friday, December 21, 2012

First of all, Happy 33^rd Wedding anniversary to my parents! Since I will not be able to call them, I’m just letting them know that I did not forget! 

The weather is still bordering on the frigid side! It’s about -45 degrees, and I would love to see the temperature warm up to -20 degrees! We still haven’t been able to go out for wood, since it is just too cold for vehicles, chainsaws, trailers and children.

I’d be surprised if the mail plane makes it into Manley today. The plane didn’t come on Monday, due to frigid temperatures and since it’s about the same temperature today…I have my doubts that we will get mail. So we were able to get mail one day this week. The good thing is that the mail plane will come on Monday, providing the weather is good! 

With the temperatures, we are facing a little bit of cabin fever. Grumpy children with limitless energy can make for a long day. I’m thinking of bundling them up to go outside, but it will take longer to get them dressed then they’ll be able to stay outside!  So, I’m thinking of another craft project and maybe some cooking making. (The cookie making depends on how much sanity I have left after the craft project!) I have to say though, Roger is amazing with the kids. He helps with the craft projects and cleaning up. But at these temperatures, Roger has to keep stuffing wood in that stove to keep us warm! (And of course, the emptying of the honey bucket, dirty wash buckets, etc.)

The lid fell off the water barrel this morning. It is next to a table that had some magazines and Roger’s art paper sitting on it. Chandler was in a hurry to get something, and oops! into the water barrel went Roger’s paper and the magazines! I’ll admit I wasn’t very happy, and it was not one of my finer moments of parenting! So, now the papers are sitting in front of the stove. We are trying to dry them out to see if they are salvageable.

Woo Hoo! The mail plane DID come today! Yay for mail! We received four letters and a package from my other sister, Jenn. It was a pleasant surprise to have the mail plane come in today.

Today was also the last day of school for the students here. Since we’ve gotten to know the teachers, I invited them to dinner next Saturday. We are looking forward to sharing dinner with them in our home.

Please pray that the temperatures will warm up a little bit. I’d love for our family to take showers before Sunday!  Also, there are many families trying to travel into Fairbanks or other parts of the state, but the frigid temperatures can make traveling dangerous. Since we also have the Christmas program on Sunday, it would be a huge blessing if the temperatures would warm up a little for that as well. I’m going to the church tomorrow to help put together goodie bags for the young people that come to the program. The boiler was turned on today to get the church warm enough for Sunday.

Top Row, left to right: 10am, 11am, 12pm: Middle Row:1pm, 2pm, 3pm: Bottom Row: 3:45pm
Dark by 4:15pm

Christmas is very different for our family this year. We’ve foregone a lot of the traditions we normally have just do to limited accessibility, availabity and money. But, it’s been good for our family to focus on the real reason for the season…Jesus Christ! We’ve been able to study people of the nativity scene rather than just Mary, Joseph and Jesus. I love that! We’ve discussed Zechariah and Elizabeth, the shepherds, the angels, the wise men, and Simeon and Anna. So, for that I am very thankful! We did bring a few presents for the boys, and people have been VERY generous to them. The only things I forgot were items to stuff the stockings!  So, using my creativity…I’ve decided that I will spend $4.00 and the boys can each have a can of soda for their stockings! Watch and see…that will be their favorite gift! 