So much has happened since January! The Lord has been so good! Wesley has graduated from high school, off to college in Tennnessee; Denali is in the 5th grade, has moved into her brother's room, it has been painted/decorated for an almost 11 year old Victorian Cowgirl! The Lord has provided a wonderful Christian woman to train/teach Denali in the care/riding of horses! This is a dream come true for her! The Lord has provided a job for Ed, at the same place/warehouse, after his company lost their gov't contracts and he was laid off! We, in Alaska, have had a true fall! It is November 11, and this is the first week of below zero temperatures, at night! Truly Amazing!!

Ed and I are coming up on our 25th wedding anniversary on the 17th! He has taken off, today through next Monday to be home! That is the best present I/we could have!!!!

Have a great rest of the week! I will try to be more consistent in my blogging.

Are We in the Bahamas Yet?

What a difference from last Friday!! Yesterday we went from zero F at 6am, to 40 ABOVE by 9am!! The snow was melting, sliding off of the roof, chinook winds blowing the snow off of the trees, you would think it was Spring instead of Winter!! I am just thankful for the warm weather, I promised God that I would not complain, (which I shouldn't do anyway, right?), no matter how hot it got, if He would just warm it up! WELL, warm it up, HE HAS!!

We are getting ready for Wesley's girlfriend to come stay for the week-end. She lives in Delta Junction, an hour and a half away. This will be the first time that Denali and I have met her. We have talked over the phone and she seems to be a very sweet girl. Wesley was so excited that he had trouble sleeping last night. We are looking forward to a good time together.

Have a good, safe and Blessed week-end!
Don't forget The Sabbath!

God is SOOO GOOOOD!!

It is Friday, the current temp is-58F, after a night low of -66F. I have been up most of the night, insulating the utility room -between water pipes and the walls, anywhere that I felt cold air coming in; then I did around the bathtub and behind it, which is under the basement staircase landing. I didn't think I was going to get out of there-I get claustrophobic in tight places. Let me back up to say that our Pastor/friend came by yesterday to see what help he might offer in reference to the pipes freezing. He pulled out all of the insulation that had been under the staircase, as it was not put in correctly and just stuffed in there any 'ol way; and was blocking the air from getting to the tub water pipes. Well, last night, no matter what -I could not get the basement even half way warm. So, I prayed ,"Lord help me, give me wisdom and show me what to do to fix the problem. " So, I started in the utility room, it is off of the basement, as it was like ice-we have to keep the door open in the winter so the pipes don't freeze up-or usually they don't unless it gets frigid as it has been the past two weeks. The Lord showed me all of the places with cold air coming in, and I plugged them up with insulation; then I kept feeling cold air coming in, under the staircase, so I crawled underneath and started plugging up all of the cold spots under it. I also did around the underneath of the tub -that is the back of the tub under the staircase. About 30 minutes later, the tub water finally thawed out!! Praise Jesus for His Wisdom, Help, Provision and Strength!! It is warmer than before. Hallelujah!

I am now waiting for the hot water heater to give some hot water for a shower! Then off to bed for a nap! Wesley came home last evening, the housesitting job is over!!! So, he can watch the woodstoves while I nap!

It is supposed to warm up Sunday or Monday! Lord, May it be so!!

Have a great week-end and don't forget to honor God with the Sabbath!

Bottomed out, but On Top with God!

Our thermometer has bottomed out at -65F, but the local wunderground temp station says it is -78F! I believe it! I have been working on frozen pipes since 3am. I usually get up every two hours to put wood in the Osburn woodstove in the basement, and to also check the water faucets in the kitchen and bathrooms. When I got up at 3, we only had hot water in the kitchen and both hot and cold water in the upstairs bath, but nothing in the downstairs bath. I knew I had to get the pipes thawed or the whole system would freeze up! I prayed, and told the Lord that this was my 911 call! and that I needed wisdom on what to do. I got the idea to put the box fan, that has been behind the Osburn to blow the hot air in the room, in the utility room next to the pipes. Then, the Lord gave me the idea to get the little space heater, the only one that we have, which is only about 10 by 8 inches, and go along the basement wall where the pipes are right above floor level. It took from 3am until about 6am to get them thawed out! But Praise the Lord, all but the bathtub has thawed out! The tub faucet is dripping so, Lord Willing, it should be thawed soon! God is not limited in any way in answering prayers and needs!! I am so thankful that I know the One True Living God!! I could have been born in a culture that doesn't teach about Jehovah God, and not even know Him or about Him! O God, please send your Word to those who do not know about you or know of you! Blessed Be the Name of the Lord God Jehovah!!

THE ICEBOX

Well, currently at 6:25 am, the temp on our thermometer is -58F! We will be living in the loft bedroom until it gets warmer. We are thankful that hot air rises. We are also thankful for heat, that the water is running, the septic is working and for warm shelter! Thank you God!

Roller Coaster Ride!

The temps started falling about midnight, and by 6:30, had fallen to -42F. The ONE predictable thing about Alaska is that the weather is definitely UNPREDICTABLE!! Even the meterologists have trouble forecasting the weather, as it changes not just daily, but often, hourly! Thankfully, we have food, wood for heat, ran errands yesterday, water, a home, clothing-and the Good Lord will take care of the rest!

It was wonderful, yesterday, just to have a respite from the extreme cold! No matter how long one lives in Alaska, the extreme cold is never easy to deal with or to get accustomed to!

I am still trying to upload photos, but have dial up modem, so it is difficult to do.

We are looking forward to Wesley's homecoming on Friday, as his housesitting job will be completed. We really miss him when he is gone! It is a forerunner of how we are going to miss him when he is at college! We will have our own waterfall of tears! Time goes by too quickly!! At the time, two hour feedings during infancy, toddlerhood, and the other "childhood phases" seem like they will never end! Yet, when looking back, it has all gone by so swiftly. We pray that God covers our mistakes, and in spite of them, Wesley will always know how loved he is and has been by his family! Forgive my reminiscing, as he was/is our first Miracle from the Lord! We/I have loved every minute of being his parent(s)! Speaking of roller coaster rides, Wesley has given us the ride of our lives! WE LOVE YOU SON!!

Have a safe, warm day!

Tropical Heat Wave!

It is hard to believe that in just 24 hours we have gone from -58F to -18F at 7am!!! It feels like Spring!! We are truly thankful and praying that the forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday does not come to past! We truly do not want to see/feel or live through -65F weather!!

We, Denali and I, start back on schoolwork today. It will be a return to normalcy, after the Survival Camping in our bedroom!

Hope you have a good, safe week!

It's a Heat Wave!

It is -38F right now!! Praise the Lord! The house is warm! Denali is soaking in the tub, enjoying the warm bath! Ed will probably go back to Delta this afternoon, since it is warmer, instead of taking a chance on driving in -60F tomorrow morning. It snowed during the night and is snowing a fine mist now. We have been praying for clouds and warmer temps! Thank You Lord!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!

I can't believe that it has been a week since Christmas, and that it is January 1, 2009! We pray that for each one of you, this New Year will be Blessed!

It is also hard to believe that we are going into Day 5 of -40 to -60F Temperatures!! Usually this is February weather! It is -54F right now, at our house! We are living in our loft bedroom, as it is the warmest place in the house! You know, hot air rises. This is the part of Alaskan winters that I do NOT like!! But, it is like marriage, you take the not so good with the good, right?! It is hard to believe that we have lived in Alaska 17 and a half years! And the frigid cold is still hard for me! But, it has been a special time also, to spend time with Denali and do special things, like have cocoa and sugar cookies, while watching a movie; eating in our room, which we normally would not do, and play games!

We are excited to have Ed home for four days, until he goes back to work on Monday! It would be complete if Wesley were home, but he is housesitting. It is too cold to go get him right now! This will be the first New Year that he hasn't been with us. Guess we better get used to it, as he will be going off to Tennessee to college this fall.

Well, enough for now. I will try to upload some Christmas photos, but have had trouble doing that-probably because we are on dial up.