Month: April 2014

Purse.

All the cool kids are doing it. Ok, not really, but the majority of my favorite bloggers have covered this topic at least once (they usually have really cute and fancy stuff though, unlike me). After a trip to the grocery store today, and after being attacked by a parade of garbage , I decided my purse needed purging. So let’s take a glimpse into this abyss known as my handbag.

Alright, so here’s what I’m packing around these days.

I love a good vintage bag. I found this treasure at a local thrift store, for $8! Right up my alley. I change bags like I change my underwear, every few days. Ha. Just kidding guys. But I really do change out bags at least once a week so I never spend more than $20 on one. On to the innards.

First up, the usual.

1. Target wallet

2. Thrift store sunnies. I’m ruthless on sunglasses, so spending $5 is a must.

3. Lip coverage for every occasion.

4. Keys, duh. I enjoy that I have two house keys on there.

5. Random change. The great part? I had no idea I even had that. The quarters would have really come in handy at Old Navy today when Hayden asked 74,000 times for a bouncy ball out of the machine.

6. A sweet nail file combo I got from my gym.

7. Measurements for curtains and a high chair cushion. I’m a bit of a project dreamer. I feel like I have a lot of good plans and ideas, it just takes me a while to complete them. Case in point, I’ve had this note in my purse for a couple weeks and haven’t even looked at fabric yet. I’ll get there.

8. A card for my next prenatal checkup. What’s awesome is what the back says. Tues- 11 am- May. I suppose I get 4 guesses on that one.

9.  Doc McStuffins leap pad cartridge

10. Tiossan hand crème. I got this sample in my Birchbox a few months ago, and love it!

11. Bath and Body Works lotion, Sweet Pea. It’s not fancy, but it’s always been my favorite.

Now we’re getting into the good stuff.

12. Reese’s Minis. I need these for medical purposes alright. A pregnant lady needs to keep her blood sugar levels balanced.

13. Feather earrings.

14. Fabric coffee sleeve. I made a bunch of these for the members of my book club and had a few extras, so of course I kept one for myself. So easy to make, and then your triple shot white chocolate mocha is uber cool and fashionable.

15. A pair of Hayden’s dirty socks. I can’t even remember when she wore these. Or why they are in my purse. Don’t worry, they are no longer in my purse. They’re on the counter now.

16. Berry Tums. Remember those Reese’s I need to regulate my blood sugar level? Well after leveling it out, I get heartburn. *sigh*

17. A tiny yellow fork. This would be the work of the three year old. But hey, you never know when you will run into an unattended meatball that needs eaten, so really she’s doing me a favor.

18. Princess hair tie. I’ve had to use these on occasion. I’m not to proud.

The culprit. This paper monster is what attacked me today. It’s now long gone. Give it a few more days though….

There you have it people. Except my chocolate stash was hijacked. She’s lucky she’s cute.

We have been having some amazing spring days lately. The snow in our yard is completely melted and little bits of green are starting to pop up everywhere. We’ve been doing our best to work hard and get our yard summer ready. The warm spring air makes yard chores a whole lot more enjoyable. But sometimes you need to give yourself a break and just enjoy the fresh air. Which is exactly what we did yesterday.

It was sunny in the morning so we opted for a quick bike down to the park that’s below our house.

Andy helped out and did a little spring clean up.

And then attempted to cheat on the ride back home. He let go though and toughed out the upcoming brutal hill with his pregnant wife. Such love.

We got back home, ditched the bikes and loaded up the crew to head up to Eklutna Lake for a hike. In the short distance to the trail head, our sunny weather abandoned us. The scenery was just so gorgeous though we all agreed, the spring showers and cold breeze would be well worth continuing on.  I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

 The lake is glacier fed and really is that bright blue. It’s amazing.

On top of the driftwood that Andy packed out for me, such a sweetheart, he managed to find some treasures of his own. A few classic pop cans to add to his collection.

Hayden had the hook up of the day. With blankets and snacks in her ride, even a bear stick to boot.

The rest of us used what God gave us.

The trail goes 13 miles back ending at the mouth of the glacier. Our crew wasn’t quite prepared for that, myself included. Another day perhaps. We made it several miles in, enjoyed the views and company, then made our way back to the truck. Spring seems to really suit this bunch.

While all the rest of you in the lower 48, well most of you, are enjoying warm weather and flowers blooming, we here in Alaska are surrounded by snow. Still.

I shouldn’t complain because majority of it has melted and the temperatures are rapidly rising. But I will complain, just because I can. I’m over winter, like seriously done with it. I want lush green grass in my front yard. I want to fill my flower beds and pots with bright colored flowers. Even though I’m in major need of a tan and a pedicure currently, I could really go for a day in a sundress and flip flops.

I’ll wait patiently, somewhat, with everyone else and in a few short weeks we’ll be there. In the mean time, April in Alaska means Alyeska’s spring carnival. Spring for us means longer days (it currently stays light until close to 10 pm) and warmer temperatures which is a dream for winter sport enthusiasts. I should perhaps join that crowd and make my life easier up here. Until that happens, I’ll do things like check out Slush Cup.

We were hoping for a sunnier day but it actually turned out to be fairly warm and didn’t snow or rain on us. I’ll take it. The slopes were filled with skiers and snowboarders, and even the wee ones were taking advantage of some open hillside.

I on the other hand, sat on my toosh and waited for the event to start. All while snacking. Of course.

The munchkin practiced some selfies. She’s getting really good as you can tell.

Slush Cup is a three day event. Friday usually involves a concert and a costume party in which part of the winners get an entry ticket for the next days event. Saturday is the main event where contestants dress in costume and ski or snowboard down the slope and try and make it across a 90 ft pool. This event is excellent for people watching, last year was fantastic and this year proved to be just as entertaining. Case in point.

These two were my favorite. The one in orange is a lady with a fantastic mustache. So hilarious.

This guy wore silver stretch pants and a leather jacket like no one has ever worn them before. Nailed it.

I forgot my sunglasses and found that I squinted for majority of the day. If I had planned better like this fellow, I would have faired better.

I even had a celebrity sighting. I wouldn’t actually say celebrity, but I’ll take what I can get. I’ll apologize now for the bad photo. I feel for paparazzi, it’s hard to get a face shot when someone is so close.

“Oh hey, Willow Palin. How’s it going? Just caught on you on a rerun of celebrity Wife Swap the other day. Good work with that sticker board.”

I imagine I would say something stupid like that.

Once the event starts, it goes by quick. I wished I would have remembered an actual camera but the IPhone sufficed for the day.

That water, ladies and gentlemen, is a chilly 31 degrees. So as a contestant you REALLY hope you make it all the way across without face planting. Most were not so fortunate.

Here piggy, piggy.

This year brought great costumes to the mix. Jesus, an eagle, a monk, chicken, ballerina, cave woman, and my personal favorite. A giant tooth.

I’ll still have my bouts with our never ending winter, but at least for this day I can say I made peace with our Alaska style spring.