Cold Feet, Warm Hearts: October 2013

Monday, October 28, 2013

Life Scout

A couple of weeks ago the Scouts had a Court of Honor.

Jacob earned several Merit Badges and advanced to the rank of Life Scout.

I learned from other scouting moms about this neat ribbon to hold the "mother's pins".

It prevents getting stuck by a pin when your son pins it on...

and it is a nice place to keep all the pins so they don't get lost.

I have the Cub Scout pins on one side and the Boy Scout pins on the other side.

Jacob is doing a great job moving along on his Scouting. Now, he begins working on his Eagle award.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Queen of Garage Sales

Rachelle is the "Queen of Garage Sales". She has furnished a good portion of her home from garage sales and Craig's List.

This whole wall of picture frames came from garage sales ranging from pennies to a couple of dollars.

I love this little table-clock. It only cost $2.00 and the clock really works!

She found cute little decorative items,

end tables, lamps, vases,

mirrors and more vases.

This little cabinet is perfect in their bathroom.

The chair was a great deal.

Rachelle found fantastic deals on a lawn mower and yard tools to get their yard in shape.

The cute little bird house welcomes visitors at the front door.

Brent, Jacob, and I spent the day helping Rachelle hang pictures on the wall and fix some small items in the house. (Scott was out of town, so he will have a pleasant surprise when he returns.)

Many of their large furniture items, including the dining set, they inherited from Scott's grandmother. Rachelle and Scott have lovely home. It is even more impressive when you realize how beautifully it is furnished with such little expense.

Rachelle has definitely inherited her dad's knack for finding deals. Way to go, Rachelle!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Happy Birthday, Jacob

Last week Jacob had a birthday and he is now an official "teenager"! He started out the day with a special breakfast--Cheerios. I never buy cold cereal, so it is a real treat. He had specifically asked for Cheerios for his birthday.

In the afternoon, Rachelle and Peter came over. (Scott was working.)

Jacob opened gifts.

Rachelle gave him a version of Jacob's favorite game -- "Trivial Pursuit".

Jeanine and Elise gave him 13 gifts since he turned 13 years old. They included a paper with

"13 Reasons Why Jacob is Awesome":

1. He can start a fire with one strike of his flint and steel.

2. He is an awesome uncle.

3. He is confident in himself.

4. He makes the best popcorn.

5. He has awesome hair.

6 . He has a great imagination and is awesome at playing pretend.

7. He has the best sisters in the world.

8. He is thoughtful and kind.

9. He plays an awesome game of balloon sword fight.

10. He is the best brother in the world.

11. He is great with kids -- especially little babies.

12. He is a good entertainer.

13 He is willing to share his many talents with others.

Amy sent Jacob a funny card with money to be put towards the new trombone he is saving up for.

Notice how many of his gifts are food. (He always has food on his mind.)

That night Jacob had friends over for dinner and birthday cake.

Jacob helped me decorate his cake. He was interested in what each cake tip did and wanted to learn how to make roses. So, his cake was a creation in learning to decorate with frosting.

Thirteen candles take up a lot of the cake.

After eating and playing a game, we drove all the kids to the high school swimming pool. They had a fun time swimming for about an hour. Jacob is blessed to have so many good friends.

We ended the day with a quiet moment with little Peter.

Jacob is a good uncle, a good friend, a good son, and now a good teenager.

We love you, Jacob.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

It's Autumn Time

Alaska typically has a very short autumn season. It usually lasts only a few weeks before we dive right into winter. (The few years that we have been here, autumn seems to last about 4 or 5 weeks.) But we enjoy it while we can. The leaves are so pretty.

The temperatures are cool or cold but not freezing.

There are lots of birds flying south. Often I see a flock of geese flying overhead. Today while I was waiting to pick up Jacob from school, there was a flock of geese taking a break on the school ground.

I hope our Fall weather lasts just a bit longer!