Thursday, October 25

It's officiallly here................

Winter that is......I can't deny it any longer :(



Driving to class last night was absolutely miserable........the roads were 'yuck' and the crazy drivers even 'yuckier'........it's always this way with the first snow of the year


And shoveling this
Means its time to break out this One of the few good things about winter here is that it's the perfect time to indulge my hot beverage cravings. While I often make homemade hot chocolate for the kiddos, I like to have the flavored ones in the packets (above) that I can whip up when I need a quick 'fix'. Last year I totally flipped for Bigelow Tea's Eggnogg'n Tea......oh my....if you can get your hands on this stuff, it is perfect with a splash of milk. Simply divineJust the other day I was killing time in Fred Meyer after Kindergarten pick-up & happened upon my new obsession: Bigelow's Pumpkin Spice Tea! This stuff is like true love in a cup :) Again, a bit of Splenda (or sugar, if you please) and a dash of milk = Perfection!


And if you are a WW member like me, the good news is this stuff is 0pts!!! (No, I don't count the milk because I literally use less than a Tbsp per 16oz mug)

So...while I loathe shoveling snow, it made me smile to fill up my 'goodie' basket......just in time to settle in for a long, long winter...............

Speaking of winter.......I was on the phone the other day with my insurance company that is based in Texas & the Customer Service rep. launched into the "20 questions about Alaska" thing......
For the 11 years I have lived here, I have been asked literally thousands of questions about Alaska. I have come to accept what should be a 2 minute call turns into a half an hour discussion on life in the Great Land. I don't mind at all.....it just stinks when you're in a hurry.

So dear lurkers...and loyal readers alike.....ask me anything you want to know about Alaska and I'll answer your questions in my next post! Ready...set...go...................

26 comments:

Kellan said...

Stacy - I am soooo jealous!!! Those snow pictures (*sigh*). I live in Texas and it's cool here, but we won't ever see snow. I'm so jealous.

My husband has relatives that live in Alaska and everytime they call I end up talking to them and I do the same thing - ask 20 questions. We (in the lower states) are so fascinated by Alaska (being dark part of the year, is there snow all the time, how cold does it get, can you plant a garden...?). Thanks for coming to see me - nice to meet you. Talk to you soon. Kellan

Kellan said...

Hey - go through the list of people on my blog, leave comments - so many of them are great people and they'd love to visit you. Do this every day and you'll attract some over here too. See ya.

*krystyn* said...

Wow! I didn't know you have lived there for 11 years!!!

I spent 25 yrs in Michigan and had my fill of snow and cold weather so I don't see myself moving to AK anytime soon.

My question: Do you find yourself sleeping less hours during the Summer when there is so much daylight? I think I would stay up all the time! (scrapbooking of course)

KATE said...

Hey, thanks for stopping by my blogg! I love new visitors!!
I love the pic & all that snow. We've just had a couple dustings so far.
I have a cousin & his wife who live in Alaska. He's a helicopter pilot for the Coast Guard. I know they LOVE it there. & my husband is set to go up there for work in a couple weeks. I hear it's beautiful!
I am sad to admit I know next to nothing about Alaska. I know...I'm a dork. Do you love it?
What have you gone back to school for? tell all!
So nice to get to talk with ya, I'll stop by again!!
-Kate

Erin said...

Oh I'm definitely looking into the pumpkin tea!! Anything that is 0 points is worth trying, lol.

Hmmm, I can only imagine you do get a lot of questions about Alaska, because us "outsiders" really are fascinated by it like Kellan said = so here are my questions:

I once heard (from someone in Alaska) that almost everyone carries shotguns in their home because you never know when a random bear or large animal will happen upon your home or area in which you live - is this true?

Are your big cities like our bit cities?

Finally - Doesn't it ever bother you that you can't just "drive accross country" like someone would if they lived in NY and wanted to go to California? Do you ever feel landlocked?

Ok, I think I would have a ton more, but I'm sure these are the typical ones you get, lol.

Great blog - glad you came to visit!

Brittany said...

Those pictures... I can't say I am with Kellan on this one. I enjoy my spring/summer weather.

I will admit, living in Alaska sounds amazing when compared to boring ol' Ohio. The questions I get are: Are there really cows everywhere? Do you wear suspenders and plow fields?
Hmm... There are cities in Ohio, people. ;) haha.

Maude Lynn said...

I don't think that I would ever get used to all that snow!

Kamis Khlopchyk said...

Hi Stacy,

I'll be back! I love me some hot beverages and I live in Saskatchewan, Canada.... I am fairly certain we get the same number of months of winter that you do up in Alaska :-) Too many in my opinion, although the hot bevvies do help don't they ;-)

We usually have snow before Halloween but so far not yet this year. There is still time though and I would bet money that we'll get some yet.

Kamis Khlopchyk said...

Oh and I commented on my boot post about where I got those boots in Calgary :-)

Don't know if you have Aldo in Alaska but maybe something similiar?

Jackie said...

Oh dear daughter, you have opened yourself up again...ask away on questions about Alaska....! The pics are great and I can hardly wait to get home and enjoy the weather. Sad to say, it will be warm in comparison to the slope weather. For anyone reading this comment, today (Friday 10/26) it is 18 degrees but with the windchill factor it's only 5.3 degrees - just a bit nippy. The wind is blowing pretty good today. It's currently 8:55 am and still pitch black outside. We have so much snow up here but with the wind it blows around and settles in huge drifts around the buildings.
Anyway, I can't wait to get home and try the new tea - save me some!
Love,
Mom

LunaNik said...

Hi Stacey,

Thanks for stopping by my blog...I thought I'd return the favor.

So, Alaska huh?? You know, as ignorant as I'm going to sound, I was a bit surprised to see a pic of the house you live in. Can you believe I really had the impression that all of you Alaska dwellers lived in igloos! LOL Ok, well, not the impression really, but my imagination does run a bit wild when I think about life in Alaska.

I guess the question that springs into my mind is...why live in Alaska?? I don't want to sound rude, I've heard that Alaska is wonderful, but...live there? permanently? I don't know if I could deal with the cold weather all of the time. I'm a 90 degree summer day on the beach kind of a girl.

Greta Adams said...

i am jealous just of the snow not the shoveling of it...
we don't get snow here at all...

enjoy your hot beverages and add some jack or rum or something to spike it up a bit...
lmao

xo
g

Maewen Archer said...

I think I'd be happy with one good snow every year -- but in Texas we get none (usually). I do love me some hot beverages, though, in any season!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

letti said...

i agree with kellan.. it gets cool in the mornings, but then in the afternoon, you're having the air con on again. it's craziness :) But i don't think i'd rather shovel snow.. blehness.

Patriot said...

Thanks so much for entering the giveaway! I host a new giveaway every week - please help spread the word! Thanks again!

carrie said...

I am going to be on the lookout for that tea next time I go to the store -- especially if it's 0pts!

It's nice to see Alaska again, I live there in 5th and 6th grade ('84 & '85) and a handful of summers. We lived in Anchorage, Girdwood, Kodiak, Seldovia . . . and visited all over!

Victoria said...

Hi there! My son (then four) and I had a wonderful adventure to Alaska three years ago. It remains one of the highlights of my life. Someday I'll blog about it - Alaska is indeed a beautiful, magical place.

But, phew, cold! =)

OHmommy said...

Thanks for visting my blog - we too had snow in early October last year - we are un-seasonably warm right now and enjoying every minute of it. But we do get a lot of snow in the winter here - what clothing items do you put on the kids before venturing outside? What are the best gloves, underwear, etc,,,?

Larry and Steph said...

Hey there! I don't think I have any questions about Alaska...Larry says hi. He really really wants to visit...that's the first he had "seen" your house...so from the picture I tried to explain where all the rooms were. I think it'd be better with an in person kinda tour...hopefully one day!!

Wait...I do have a question... when does Alaska get to come home??? That seems like the best question of any posted, and I bet the crazies on the phone don't ever ask that one! We sure do miss you guys...and we aren't shoveling snow yet...does that persuade you at all? *pouty little sister face* We love you guys!!!!

Anonymous said...

Wait a minute, they have egg nog tea now? First I was jealous of your snow, and now your tea. Blurg!

As to your request, does Holling still live in Alaska? How about Dr. Fleischman? What ever happened to Chris? (And my real question is ... do Alaskans get a lot of questions about that show? Or is it just me?)

Great post --

Mike

Holly (2 Kids and Tired) said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog! We're still in full fall swing here in Idaho. My boys are excited for it to finally snow, but I'm fine with waiting!

Anonymous said...

It's down right balmy here! I'm still getting me some of that Eggnog'n.

Jackie said...

My question about Alaska - When, oh when will Alaska be graced with the with a visit from our OH family so they can see how beautiful it is up here and why we choose to stay? (No, I'm not working today - I've decided this is a blog surfing day for me....lol)

Her Grace said...

SNOW! I'm so excited. We should be seeing it in another month or so. I love the beginning of winter, but don't talk to me about it in March :).

Thanks for stopping by my blog. If we lived closer, we could get our pudgy labs together for an exercise date!

Aleka's World said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Aleka's World said...

Thanks for reading my blog! :)
Alaska!! Wow!
Have you seen a difference in climate lately? Like, less snow? The whole global warming thing... I'm obsessed with it now!