The boys taking a nap...

Manufactures are now making dog toys without stuffing (except the head) which is good for our boys who love to "pull the squeaker." So Mary took all the stuffed animals, pulled the stuffing (expect the heads) and sewed up the bodies - What we will do for our boys! Mom - I am thinking about making jacket next.

We did find some of these new fangled stuffed animals at the store in Seward but they were bigger than our boys and we got scared...hence the making them ourselves.

Bruno waiting patiently for the "new toys" to be finished.

Christmas present from Heidi and Bill...love them! If you have been following the weather - it is cold, cold, cold up north. We came home to the longest cold spell on record. Seward (with the wind chill) has been sitting about -25!


Heidi gave me three vanilla beans from Tahiti and said something about rum and making vanilla. After checking "the web" here is my vanilla in the making. (in a dark cupboard of course)



Here is the scoop on Vanilla making...

3 whole vanilla beans - sliced length wise but not all the way through

1 cup Rum (you can use Vodka or Brandy but Rum makes for sweeter vanilla)

Combine the two (best in a glass jar), place in a dark place and in 8 weeks you will have vanilla extract. The vanilla can be poured off into smaller bottles and given away as gifts.

Leaving a vanilla bean in the bottle allows you to continually replenish your supply. (Or putting one in each gift bottle) When the bottle is half empty, fill with rum and wait a couple of weeks for the vanilla extract to rebuild its flavor.

Check out this website for more information - best source I found!http://www.kitchenproject.com/vanilla/4FoldVanillaExtract.htm

Happy New Year

Bruno trying to get Nikan to play. Like Mary, Nikan understands the fine art of napping. Bruno is much more like me...let's go, let's go...

Christmas present - The Ice Cream Ball...we made a pint of choc chip for our New Year's Eve celebration.

Another Christmas present - Aero Garden...I have planted two types of cherry tomatoes, dill, basil, and chives. I can't wait for things to begin popping up.

Growing tomatoes in Alaska is difficult without a green house - I am excited at the prospect of tomatoes with the Aero Garden.

Those of you who bake know that good vanilla is a must (imitation will not do). I am excited about two gifts I received this Christmas - Mom and Dad brought us clear vanilla for Mexico (thinking of us while on their cruise) - we used this last night in making our ice cream! And Heidi brought me three vanilla beans from her honeymoon in Tahiti. The vanilla beans when mixed with rum (vodka or brandy) will produce vanilla you can use for cooking. I learned through my research that vodka is the traditional medium for the transformation, but using rum will make a sweeter vanilla. Additionally, when the bottle is approximately 1/2 empty you simply add more rum and in a couple of weeks your supply is regenerated. (I am thinking this is well worth the expense of a few vanilla beans (and a small bottle of rum) if you don't ever have to purchase vanilla again.)

We spent a great week in San Diego over Christmas visiting family and friends. Timing worked out that our arrival corresponded with our extended family holiday party. It was great to see everyone all in one place. We returned home to beautiful, clear weather - but minus temperatures. Burr...

I have included a couple of new links - our nieces' Paige (10yrs) and Amber (9yrs) have begun their own blogs. It is fun to experience life through their eyes. If you choose to visit - Enjoy.

We wish each of you the best as the new year begins. We had a quite a New Year's Eve at home playing xBox, Wii and watching a movie. Looking forward to a healthily and happy year!

Fun In The Sun (and cold)

Mary's B-day from the Sue's - the fun never stops!

I especially like the shirt

Ginger getting ready for the Community Band Concert
"A Patriotic Christmas"

Life has been busy, what with winter here and all. I have not had to shovel snow in a few days as we have had more rain than snow. My driveway at this moment is just a big slab of ice - anyone got skates. :-)

The full moon the last two days has been breath taking in the clear skies over Seward. Lights the place up. It is so cool in the darkness (like now) to be able to see the white mountains from the moon light.

I ran/walked in the Jingle Bell 5K for Arthritis last weekend. I knew the run was on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail (beautiful location) but it never occurred to me with winter (34 degrees) all around that we would be running on snow. Imagine my surprise when I hit the trail. :-) - 46:53 didn't seem like a bad time in the snow - which is a lot like running on the beach in San Diego.

Sunset in Seward 12-11-08 approx 3:40pm. This is the campground on the bay (Resurrection Bay). It was so cold yesterday afternoon that Bruno played outside for about 2 minutes and then jumped back in the car until I was finished taking pictures.

Sunset across to bay

This one is for my good friend Cayleff - As i drove up a Raven landed on the snow hill right in from of me. When that happens, I think Cayleff is with me. :-)

Thanksgiving Weekend

Pecan/Chocolate Pie (Emeril) - Crust broke during transport :-(

Appetizers - after we attacked them...deviled eggs (Mom's recipe, and I got to use my new "filling gun"), crab stuffed mushrooms (Paula Deen), and prosciutto wrapped figs, stuffed with goat cheese and drizzled with honey hot out of the oven. (Sandra Lee)

BTW - note my new "white platter" - I have been looking for a white platter for quite some time, found this perfect dish at a silent action! - Late in the day the turkey was served on this dish. :-)

Rock Band! Drums are harder than they look...


WII Bowling - Go Mary

Note the form, the style... :-)

We hope that you all had an excellent weekend and an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday. Mary and I spent the day with friends in Anchorage. The company and food were both excellent. While we missed family and friends across the "lower 48," we had a happy day.

We did see two movies this weekend - Twilight (Mary and I both read the book), movie is good, true to the story but I thought it left out key details in the story telling due to time constraints. We also saw - Bolt...destined to be a classic...ok, maybe not, but it was cute! The hamster was too funny.

We hope you all know this...but it always is worth repeating - Mary and I are truly thankful for the wonderful people (family and friends) across the country who enrich our lives on a daily basis! Our lives would be very different without each of you.

Enjoy the pictures. Take care - and Happy Holidays!

Three weeks until we are in San Diego!

"The Boys"

Mary seems to be sitting in Nikan's "spot." He is waiting for her to move...

This was Mko's bed - I was going to get rid of it, but "the boys" claimed it before I could. Finding a best home for it has been the issue - but this location seems to be working for all of us.
They can often be found sleeping together on the bed when Mary and Nikan are home. Bruno usually tucks into the bed each morning as I leave for work.

3-Day Walk for Breast Cancer

Congratulations to Connie for completing the 3-Day Walk this weekend. We wish we could have been there as she came across the finish line. What a great accomplishement - 60 miles in 3 days - we are so proud!

BooBoo and Mary