AK Traveller

A few pictures from our time in Alaska

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:04:00 +0000

These are some of the pictures I texted to Murray to keep him in touch with what we were up to.

Natty with a view back Eagle River Valley (where I grew up). This was taken on a Thursday Kids' Hike.

Sam and Svea chillin' at the Byer's Lake Cabin on the 4th of July.

The Birthday Pinata at the Byer's Lake Cabin

Another Kids' Hike - Bear Mountain in Peter's Creek, looking towards Anchorage

Watching the Bear Paw Festival Parade in Eagle River - and eating the candy they caught!

Midway on the Ski Hill in Cordova

Our "Bicycle Built for 8" in Portland - the 4 adults are not on it yet, but we did all fit.

6 weeks later

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:07:00 +0000

6 weeks from the marathon, a week after getting home. This morning I finally struggled out the door to run - motivated by my grumpy mood, bulging stomach and the 1/2 of a chocolate bar I ate last night (of course, it was good, dark organic chocolate, but still, it had plenty of calories).

I won't lie -- it was miserable starting out. But there was an undercurrent of feeling Right so I clung to that and kept the feet moving.

A spiral of thoughts circled: 1) I feel awful - how could I get so out of shape in just 6 weeks? 2) Summer mornings in Pomfret are the most beautiful moments. Either Murray or I should be exercising every morning at 6 am from Mother's Day to Halloween just to enjoy this perfect time of day. 3) I really needed to do this. I'm going to keep running 3-4 times a week, and add in yoga the days I don't run. I'll feel so much better if I do that. 1) I feel awful. Etc.

It was shocking how I struggled through what used to be my short, easy run. But just when I was heading up backstretch hills and toying with the thought of walking I glanced at my watch and saw I was running <10 min miles! I can still run, my legs/lungs/heart do work and I'm not a total lump of fat. Those numbers gave me the boost to get up the last hills and into our driveway. I think I've caught myself before total deterioration set in and I don't plan on letting myself go just yet.

I appreciate that it has been mostly positive motivation to get me moving. I was a more pleasant, serene and energetic person when I was exercising regularly and I missed all that. The negative motivations are mostly weight related - I bought a dress when I was in marathon form and it isn't looking as good on me now (which kills me).

No matter what got me out, I'm happy I went out today. I feel better for it and ate Murray's delicious pancakes without guilt when I got back home.

The good, the bad, and the ugly

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:24:00 +0000

I ran a marathon! It was awesome - from the first decision to go for a big M to the free massage at the end.

As one would expect, flying across North America with a 2 yr old is not the optimal pre-race day set-up - but that's how the family needs balanced out. It was a surmountable handicap.

We were met at the airport by Ama and Grandpa Greg and a surprise hello from Uncle Jim and Aunt Kathy who were passing through town - a great way to be welcomed home. I went straight downtown and registered for the race (oh my word, this is finally happening!) then Ama and I took Natalie to fun little Elderberry park so I could jog the kinks out on the Coastal Trail: beautiful. Denali was out in all it's shimmering white glory, the Chugach range was a happy green and Cook Inlet at low tide was glacier mud grey - just the way I like it.

Grandpa Greg's famous Red Sauce was the perfect carb load dinner and I made it to bed by 7 pm (11 pm my body's time). I slept terribly. (No surprise there) And at 4:30 the pitter patter of little feet got Murray and I out of bed. Uuuuugh.

After psychologically walking away from the lack of sleep, I had a lovely morning with my ritual breakfast, some stretching, playing with the kids and generally preparing for the run. It was another stunningly beautiful day with blue skies, sunshine and light, clear (and a bit chilly) air. Remember, it's the Solstice run in Alaska (although not on the actual day) so it was already light with a welcoming sunrise.

It was a small starting crowd - I think about 1000. The last organized run I did (other than the Cordova ones) was Bloomsday in Spokane which brings in more like 30,000. So this was downright intimate. I tracked down my childhood best friend who battled pneumonia, -10 degree training runs and other injuries to run what was her first marathon too - what an inspiration. She was running with Team in Training - a sea of purple t-shirts with great energy who've raised an immense amount of $$ for cancer research. With the obligatory state and national anthems played, we were off to run for (in my case) 4 hrs, 33 minutes on one of the most picturesque marathons I can imagine.

Likes:

Running in a silent crowd a mile or so in - that was pretty cool. We were still pretty packed together, but the nervous chit chat was done and people were just getting their pace.
A friendly runner about miles 4-6, just when I was starting to feel lonely and miss Monique. I was replaying some of our funnier conversations and starting imaginary ones with her when he dropped into stride with me and struck up a conversation. Normally I wouldn't have appreciated it, but right then he was a gift. Although I didn't know the correct etiquette when I finally pulled ahead - and I don't know what he looked like or even his name.
The Tank Trail - running on a gravel road through an aspen and pine forest, towards my beloved Chugach mountains - priceless.
My family cheering me on - everywhere! After mile 16 they were like jackrabbits, popping up around every corner. It was great. High Five's for all the kids and the joy of brief runs with both sisters. "Go, Mommy, Go!"
Feeling so good for the vast majority of the run - hurrah for actually training. It really paid off.

Dislike:

Miles 22-26.2. Those were the hardest. It's amazing though - as your mind is telling you that you're going to die, your legs keep moving and after awhile, there's another mile marker, then another and so on. That's how the run gets done.
The Train Wreck that was Jen after finishing - my GI system does not like being stressed. I was one of those runners lying in the grass in the fetal position who occasionally leapt up to cut the line at the port-o-potties.

The best part of this whole experience was finding a goal, working steadily towards it and finally accomplishing it. With amazing support from my husband (incredible man) and kids.

Now it's on to spending time with friends, family and the mountains.

Yeehaw!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Mon, 30 May 2011 19:05:00 +0000

20 miles this weekend - I'm now officially into a 2 week taper before the marathon.

Truly, if I can do this (and I realize I'm not quite there yet), anyone can. It's not like Boom, I went out and ran 20 miles. It's been a long, slow, steady road to get here. And I have such a supportive husband and a fantastic running partner for my long runs. I soooo wanted to quit during the last 5 miles of the 20, but I kept staggering on until I got to the end. Nothing broke, I didn't die and now I am pretty sure I can run 26.2. It was a nice enough day for a long run, except the humidity. I was drenched with sweat by the end - so much so I thought my water bottles were leaking. But no: it was me.

If you haven't run a marathon, you might think I have some magical marathon endurance/strength/je n'sais quoi. But that's really not true. Once a boyfriend compared me to an elephant (the point was supposed to be complimentary - something about wisdom and groundedness, but the physicality of the comparison is unavoidable). And then when I was pregnant with Natalie and swimming regularly, I thought of myself as a humpback whale - again, the point was the non-physical - I was channeling a whale's slow, majestic serenity - but the physical association was there. Given these animal comparisons, it is clear that"runner" is not my athletic body type. In fact, another man -who was a huge runner and whom I thought was the love of my life at the time - flat out told me I didn't have a runner's body (the insinuation was, "why bother, you'll never be fast"). That smarted, until he soon thereafter gushed about his infatuation for a woman who won the Boston Marathon with diarrhea running down her leg. At that moment he was no longer the love of my life. Because there is no way I would not duck into the woods (and I do! almost every run) if I had diarrhea.

All this to say, I'm big, I'm heavy, I'm slow and dammit, I'm going to run this marathon (Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise).

Oh, and speaking of heavy - I haven't lost one red pound with all this running. What's up with that? It's inconceivable. That's what it is.

like a little fledgling bird...

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Fri, 13 May 2011 21:01:00 +0000

An audience

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Mon, 02 May 2011 00:59:00 +0000

This running thing has been good on many levels, but it's also hard, uncomfortable and time-consuming. I have a few things that keep me going, but possibly the biggest motivator that I hold in my mind when I'm tired and have to drag myself out the door is that my children are watching and learning from my life. When Natalie was born, one of the many powerful realizations I had was that I wanted to be a better person for her sake.

So I persevere - against my every inclination - because I want her to see me working through things that are frustrating, unpleasant and difficult in order to reach a goal. I also try to zip my lips when tempted to whine - after all, I don't like her to whine, so I better keep to the standard I set for her.

Even though she doesn't understand why I want to run a marathon (and she really doesn't), I know that I'm modeling what it takes to work hard for a goal. I hope she gets it. I do know she gets that it's good for me.

And I can't wait to cross the finish line and see my kids and Murray cheering for me. Ultimately, they're It - both my reason and my strength.

Bittersweet: The bane of my life

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 02:54:00 +0000

Not to be melodramatic, but it has taken up an inordinate amount of my energy lately.

When we moved into the house, the street front was bordered by a low, wide and kinda scraggly hedge. To build our fence we reduced the width of the hedge, but I wasn't ready to totally scrap it - even though a neighbor offered to bring his brushhog in and do the job. (Boy, do I regret turning down that offer.)

After watching the "hedge" grow last summer and realizing that it was primarily a horrible, aggressive vine called bittersweet that had been pruned into a semblance of a hedge, I decided to rip it out and overhaul our street front beds. To that end, a few months ago I attacked the remaining bittersweet "hedge." I yanked, tug and dug vines for 2 days, plus some. There's nothing like pulling out long, tangled roots for a sense of accomplishment.

Here are the vines:

(Somehow, the picture doesn't do them justice.)

I don't have a picture of the pitted dirt that was left there when I stepped away from the project, but Better Homes and Gardens would not have been proud. Nonetheless, I let the wasteland sit until yesterday. Then, with the weather suddenly warming, I leapt into action.

I plan to to replace the hedge with the wide bed of hostas and mums that were previously in front of the it. The first step was to get the ground ready for transplanting.

A co-worker loaned me her "Mantis" rototiller and yesterday I started out. Running the Mantis was like walking a little energetic dog; bouncing and sputtering about to my great amusement. Unfortunately, it easily got clogged/tangled/choked by the multitude of roots still left in the ground and I probably could have used a bigger model. The whole process wasn't pretty.

But by this afternoon, here are the fruits of my labor

And here is the bed, ready for the hostas, etc to be moved back 10 feet into it.

Isn't that nice?

It would be even nicer to have hired someone to do this for me, but there are 2 reasons I didn't. First off, I'm a near pathological DIYer. Secondly (and more importantly) we need a new sewer system and that is going to take all the landscaping money. Yes, that is correct: New. Sewer. System.

Aah, homeowner bliss. As I write, we are not supposed to be putting anything down any drain in our house because it could easily "bubble up" (our plumber's words) in our back yard.

When is this new system coming? We don't know. All we know is that it is Friday night, the weekend is here and we can't flush our toilets, take showers, wash clothes or run the dishwasher. Thank goodness Murray's parents live only a mile away.

Depression

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:53:00 +0000

It's not pretty, nice or easy. It's like the common cold of mental health these days. Hard to treat, lingering, off-putting and generally unattractive.

I've stuggled with depression for many years, off and on. I am so grateful for the kindness of my friends when I don't return calls, emails, letters or other generous gestures because I'm in a funk. I am blessed to have them in my life. And my amazing husband, who cheerily trucks along when I'm acting like a Cymbalta commercial. He does the laundry, cleans the kitchen most nights, helps put the kids to bed, empties the garbage and does a million other helpful things around the house. Did I mention he also gets up with the kids in the morning and usually has the coffee water on by the time I stagger out?

I don't takes medications for depression. I've found some treatments within my control that work well. For me, a good analogy is a to treat it as someone else might treat a propensity for type 2 diabetes. Prevention is key. I know that if I don't take care of myself, I will go into a big black place and need to take medication, but if I do the things that work for me, I can keep healthy.

Everyone has activities/people that fill them up emotionally as well as things that drain them. And we all empty and fill at different rates - unfortunately some of us empty faster than others. To keep myself from emptying quite so quickly, here are some things I use:

Exercise. This, for me, is the biggest factor. I beat this drum a lot. Everyone benefits from moving - in many ways. 'Nuff said.

Healthy relationships - also a biggie. I have friends who have know me since I was born: that's a long time. Unfortunately, a side effect of being nomadic means that I've dropped out of their orbit. I'm like a comet now - I zoom by sporadically - which is not conducive for building community or mutually supportive relationships. I haven't given up on those foundational relationships, but I want to put more into them for the long term. Additionally I want to invest in the friendships I have near me. As adults it is harder to make new friends, (than, say, in the dorms at college) but not impossible.

Spiritual practice - spending time with God. I'm obsessive about running by myself in part because it's on of the few times that I have alone to talk to God. Doing 5 minutes (10, 15, whatever) of meditation has never worked for me. But praying and running: that works. (Which means it's a double whammy when I don't exercise)

Productivity - even small things - like hanging a picture I've wanted to get up - help immensely. While it can take a huge effort to get it together to do it, the satisfaction of finishing one thing rebounds me into others and builds on itself.

I'm also a believer in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Basically this theory is that your thoughts form your mood. When you change your thought patterns you can change your depressive cycle. That said, depression, with its lack of self worth and low energy, is a challenging place from which to start developing new thought patterns. But it is a helpful strategy for me.

Light - Seasonal Affective Disorder is a real thing, and winters are hard. Get a full-spectrum light, get somewhere sunny once a winter, play outside every time the sun is shining - all those things.

There's no magic bullet for curing the common cold, nor depression. But my hope is that other people who struggle with it will find their right mix to get and stay healthy. And I want to be a support for those people in my life who need it.

These are quality problems

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 13:33:00 +0000

Yesterday morning, I was up at the crack of dawn to run 10 miles with my running partner. I don't normally function at that hour, but 6:30 was when she could fit a run in, so 6:30 it was. When the alarm went off Murray asked if I wanted a Dr.'s note excusing myself, which made me laugh enough to get out of bed.

Greg, my mom's husband, has a quote: "These are Quality Problems." I'm alive, strong enough to get up and run, have put in the work to run 10 miles, have a great running partner who is willing to slow down to my pace and I have a hot shower waiting for me back at the house. My aching muscles, gasping lungs and all-over misery - these are quality problems. I should be so lucky to feel my muscles, work my lungs and pad slowly down the beautiful country roads.

I hope you have some quality problems too.

The world as we know it

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 01:50:00 +0000

World events these days are momentous and an update on the Buttner family adventures seems inconsequential, but Ruth Reichl's post on the tsunami, revolutions, etc was thoughtful and rather inspiring to me.

Our assistance to the situation in Japan consists of donating money. Which seems so trivial and yet is something we can do that will help those in need. I also have a renewed gratitude for our many blessings - running water (hot! even), electricity, a home and the safety of my loved ones.

In light of my luck and my blessings, I am reminded of one of my life mantras - "to whom much is given, much is required." I am constantly aware of how much I have been given. In this world where most people are struggling to provide food, shelter and safety for themselves and their children, I am putting money away for their college and planning a kitchen remodel. It's humbling. And galvanizing.

Since I'm running these days, I've entered a fun run to raise money for the Women in the Congo through Women to Women International. They help women all over the world, but this run is specifically for a recovery center/ technical school for survivors of sexual violence in the Congo. You can help them too! If you can't come to Hamden Connecticut to run with me on April 23, you can sponser me for it. Email me and I'll sort it out for you. I'll update the blog as I get the online fundraising up and running. Technical difficulties right now.

Our long-suffering hens

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:44:00 +0000

Looking out the window today, I saw Sam toddle up behind one of our hens, reach down and gently pick her up. He didn't have such a good grip and she slowly slipped out of his hands. Lucky he's so close to the ground, she didn't have far to slide. She didn't freak out or anything, just kind of clucked softly and moved off.

Both kids love the chickens and obviously the chickens are used to them. A far cry from the attack roosters of last summer. Maybe the winter spent in the cedar tree mellowed them out.

I poked my head out the door to say, "Sam, pet the chickens, don't pick them up" and he replied, "Heavy, Mama - chickie heavy." Yes, when you're 30 lbs, a 5 lb chicken is pretty heavy.

After he followed them for awhile, petting them when he could, one of them did give him a peck on the hand. I saw it, and it wasn't bad, but he got a little sad that a chickie would do that to him. I carried him in the house, wiped his nose and, at his request, put him back outside. His first words were, "Chickie! 'R you? 'R you chickie?" so I guess he's over it.

Willpower

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 02:42:00 +0000

is the title of a Frog and Toad story. It's a great one. A friend of mine gave Sam a set of Frog and Toad when he was born with a card reading, "Everything you need to know about life is in these books." And the more I read (and read, and read) them the more I think she might be right.

In this particular story Frog makes delicious chocolate chip cookies and, after eating most of them with Toad, throws them to the birds so he won't eat all of them and calls that willpower. (It's funnier when Arnold Lobel tells it.) I'm not quite sure why Kris always thinks of me when she reads it. Do I have funny ways of expressing my willpower? Do I have poor willpower around chocolate chip cookies? Hmmm.

So, willpower. Mine is spotty, at best. It shines when I'm hiking: alone with a mountain I want to climb, I just won't quit until I've finished it. (This has not always been a good thing, but I'm still alive, so it's successful on that level.) But for the rest of Life, I get easily distracted and poof! there goes my willpower. Unfortunately, motherhood has eroded it even more. Something about starting a project knowing that it is going to be interrupted makes me detach from the need to finish anything.

Running (which I've started doing again, BTW) requires willpower. Especially when you're out of shape and running on a treadmill - without a TV. Running is both the most empowering and the most humbling of activities. Humbling because it has taken serious pep talks to get me to stagger through 3 miles. ("3 miles?! Anyone can run 3 miles. Move. Don't stop. It's only 3 miles! NO, don't stop now either.") And empowering because I am so freakin' excited for myself when I finish a run.

I feel as if developing my willpower has been harder and more important than getting my muscles back where they belong. I know I am strong and will be fit again, but I'm less confident that I can finish what I've set out to do. Whether that's today's run or the training for - and running of - a marathon.

But every day that I get out and run gives me another bit of confidence. And today, for the first time, once I was in my clothes I actually had a pleasant sensation of anticipation when contemplating my run instead of having to haul myself out by the scruff of my neck. So that's progress!

Now, where are those chocolate chip cookies?

Charlie

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 02:40:00 +0000

There's a beauty in skills honed over time; repetition building confidence and mastery.

I don't approach things that way though. I love learning trying new things, learning unknown skills, fresh beginnings, all that. I also am genetically determined to be a DIYer. I talk big about hiring stuff out to the professionals, but when it comes down to it, often I can't stop myself from giving it a go - for better or for worse.

This attitude has it's merits. Murray always says I'm a good cook, when in actuality, I'm just a fearless one. I'll try almost any recipe - and as he likes to eat almost anything, we're a match born in heaven. That old adage about not trying new dishes on guests is lost on me too (although I do often think of it as the food is on the brink of disaster and the guests are 30 min away).
In defense of trying new things, I've served very few inedible meals and a fair amount of tasty ones. And as I age I am learning to repeat the winners - less stress. Still, I'm drawn to try new things... and not just in cooking.

For instance, I'm slowly putting up the crown molding in the kids room. Installing crown molding is definitely new to me, and I can not claim it as an actual skill yet. I have to cut most pieces multiple times - although during my last session, I put up 2 pieces with just the necessary 2 cuts - amazing! I was glowing, even though the third piece required about 8 cuts to get right - grrr.

Such escapades gives me renewed respect for carpenters. Learning something new almost always gives me respect for those who can do it well. Which brings me to Charlie, our Barn Whisperer. He is amazing - he can read a building like a book, he knows what it needs to stand straight and how to go about straightening it. Our barn is still standing because of him. Sadly, Charlie is in the hospital right now. He fell off a high barn roof onto frozen ground (with all this snow around, how could there not be a snow drift to catch him?!?! But there wasn't.) He's pretty broken up - way worse than just the broken pelvis Murray and I heard he had (which is bad enough). He and his family would appreciate your prayers. On the drive back from visiting him I couldn't stop thinking about the vast trove of knowledge lying there behind his closed eyes. We were lucky to have met him and luckier still to have had him work on our barn. I hope and pray he lives on to save many more.

Sam's words

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:00:00 +0000

Sam turned 2 today! I started this blog post last week and didn't get back to it. In just that week his language has exploded. He's a little parrot. Sentences are still shaky - and each word in his 3 word sentences comes after a thoughtful pause, but he's on his way to chatterbox-dom. He is patient and persistent and somehow makes himself understood when he really wants something.

Here's an abbreviated list of his words. He doesn't say "r" or "s" so translate these words in light of that.
"Wa-hoo" (waffle)
"Cin-chee" (candy) - boy's got his parents' sweet tooth
"Oo-koo" (orange juice, orange and sometimes yoghurt)
Morning! As in "Morning, Mama!" And "ata'noooon, Mama!"
"Tanks, mamma" he has realized the power of this so he says it often - when you give him things, pick something up for him, help him when he asks for it, etc). He says Please too - "Peez"
"Hewp!" - he uses this liberally
'Tuk" - stuck as in "I'm stuck" "My hand is stuck in my sleeve", "I can't get up", etc.
"Owoow book". His favorite book - that and "Mama Day" his newest favorite book since I can't find Owl Book. Update - for the last 3 nights he also wants "Fwag an' Dod, Mama, Fwag and Dod book!" (five points if you can figure out what characters those are)

Of course, in the past few weeks, his all time favorite words have been those 2 year old universals: "MINE!" and "NO!"

Other cutness:
When he's carrying a cup with liquid in it he walks like he's carrying radioactive material - concentrating so hard he's almost shaking. But he often leaves his cups of milk on the floor for me to trip on and spill. Aargh.

He starts moving his mouth to drink the instant the cup is near his mouth, no matter where the liquid in it is. Little smacking noises go on until the drink actually reaches his lips - which can take awhile, since he's a deliberate little fellow.

He loves playing the piano. Plinking around, up and down. Not banging, and not connecting notes to a tune, just listening to the sounds it makes.

He puts his boots away himself, and helps me take off my coat if I haven't done it soon enough (by his timing). Unsnapping the snaps as high up as he can reach, then pulling on my sleeve cuff. After it's off he tries to hang it up on his hook - which is much too low for my long coat. But the idea is a fabulous one and I'm going to encourage every tendency to tidiness. Hurrah for Murray's genes!

We had such a fun birthday. His big gifts were a train table (to match the train set) from the Carlisle's (BIG hit, Lindsey), a pop-up tunnel and a fish. (I'm sliding down the slippery pet slope. First chickens, now fish.)

Here's his cake:

(Thomas the Train if you're not in the small boy child world) He liked it quite a bit - which is the goal.

A new...everything

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 03:20:00 +0000

Day two at the new office and all's well. We're getting the daily minutiae that matter so much fine tuned. Wireless up and running, lamp shades on lamps, etc. We do still need to get some pictures and instruments hung - - tomorrow, for sure.
Murray's nurse is great - totally can-do and unstoppable. She's coming over to Quiet Corner Family Practice (QCFP) full time in 2 weeks. I waft in and out, sometimes with kids, sometimes with treats. Murray is a whirlwind of phone calls and techno gizmos. (Reminds me of our wedding week - I swear I thought the phone was going to grow into his ear. Remember he took a call during our toast at the rehearsal dinner? Amazing).
For me, the best part of starting up this practice has been the chance to see Murray work with his patients. I know that they love, trust and respect him and it's obvious why; he's immensely patient, kind, respectful and comprehensive. I don't mean to sound like I am surprised at this, but it is fabulous to witness - and to work with.
One of my favorite things in life is to see friends in a different capacity than I usually do - like when my friend Rebecca painted the tree on Natty's bedroom wall. She was in such a cool zone - her Artist zone that I don't see as often as I see her Momma zone or Friend zone. That's what I'm getting to do with Murray. And it's nice after 8 years together to see sides of him that I don't think about.

As for the rest of life: Natty had a fabo birthday, Sam is getting cuter and cuter (when will it stop?) and New Year's in Vermont was the usual great bash. No snow to speak of here and I'm missing Alaska, but that's nothing new. On the bright side: I'm ramping up to fulfill a 10 yr goal of running a marathon. Mayor's in Anchorage anyone? I'll see you there. You could not be less fit than me so let's get a move on! I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Going, going, gone!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 01:40:00 +0000

2010, that is. And, of course, it's not gone yet, but the way time has been flying by, it will be gone by the time I get this posted.

Lots of exciting things are happening.

First, Teal and her kids are visiting. We're having a ball (no big surprise there! But we miss Lelia). The girls love each other/hate each other/melt down/change clothes multiple times a day. The big boy is patient with his little cousin and plays knee hockey for hours everyday. The little boy loves his big cousin and "hockey baaaaall". He's happy and funny and cute. Such a little Mini-Murray! See Teal's fb page for excellent pictures of the fun.

In addition, we're in a frenzy trying to get Murray's practice up and running by January 3rd. There's a lot of details to sort - administrative, billing, supplies, as well as getting the actual location set up. And since Murray is still working full time, he's stretched pretty thin. Teal has been invaluable helping me get things sorted. Check out his site: www.Quietcornerfamilypractice.com.

I don't have Christmas cards out yet. Maybe won't get them out this year. Easter cards, anyone? But I do have all but one of the Christmas packages in the mail. Whew!

With the practice engulfing us, I was not feeling the Christmas spirit but decorating our tree has turned things around. It's the silliest looking tree ever - as we were out cutting it Murray was looking for "a really small one...not too full" and only after we pulled it out of the bushes did we see how truly lopsided it was. If I'd had more time/energy I'd have gone out and gotten a second one, but since I'm short on both we just decorated what we had and it turned out fantastic.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all from the Buttners!

A few of his favorite things

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 19:57:00 +0000

Yellow Wellies.

Natty's old Disney Princess Roller-backpack

and his favorite of all....

Reading with Ta-Ta

Cooking a cow

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 03:31:00 +0000

Here's the thing: I was a near-vegetarian for 10 yrs. By that I mean I would eat meat if it was served to me, but I didn't buy it, order it or learn to cook it until my 30's.

I chose that lifestyle because of reasons that are still valid. Foremost, it takes 16 lbs of grain to make 1 lb of beef. That's a lot of food lost in the translation! And with so many people starving who could have eaten those 15 lbs of grain, it's a high price to pay for living on the top of the food chain. Additionally, have you ever seen/smelled a feed lot where cows live until they are slaughtered? I have. Gross. Not to mention my apprehension about overuse of antibiotics - any creature kept in such close quarters will be at high risk for disease so they are prophlactically fed antibiotics. Which contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Not a good thing.

Now that I've almost talked myself back into being a vegetarian, I'll tell you about the copious amounts of meat we eat. Murray has a partner who raises 2 cows a year (and taps the maple trees on his property. Therefore his house qualifies as a farm and he can take some tax writeoffs - sounds like a lot of work to me but it makes him happy). We bought 1/2 a cow from him last year and boy is that a lot of meat! We still aren't done with it.
This year we planned to split the same amount with the Greaters (1/4 cow each), but we still somehow got the lion's share of the meat. It is great meat - no feed lots involved and I dream it's a smidge lower on the food chain because they're somewhat grass fed. Finally I've come to peace with cooking and eating it.

But therein lie's the rub: Cooking it. When you buy a 1/2 cow, you're not getting 300 lbs of T-bone steak. You get a few of those (if that's the way you choose to get it cut - that's another story for another time) but you also get lots of things you haven't ever cooked before. Here's a romantic metaphor that helps me wrap my head around it: Cooking our cow is a bit like shopping at the market in France - you learn to imaginatively cook what's available. Isn't that a nice way to look at a freezer full of frozen chunks of red meat?

To be honest, I was really thrown into the proverbial fire back when we moved to Cordova 6 yrs ago. The first fall there Murray went out hunting with the guys and, when they came back with the deer, I was expected to help butcher it - hel-ooo! Former vegetarian! Don't know a tenderloin from a chuck steak! (On the bright side, wild game answers my philosophical issues with red meat. And, honestly I grew up eating a lot of moose so I have a taste for it.) Thankfully, our veterinarian/great hunter-killer and his amazing chef wife were there to talk us through the first deer. Once it was in our freezer I muddled through cooking it. My take home tips: 1. stew is great. Cook almost anything long enough in enough red wine and it will taste good. 2. Roasts are our friends. Sure, they take a long time to cook, but it's time in the oven - not requiring anything from you. 3. Find some good cookbooks and use them.

I'm butchering a deer with Natty on my back in Cordova - she looks thrilled, doesn't she?

Now that we've moved on from venison to beef (although Murray sometimes gets venison from patients too) I've gotten a few dishes under my belt; some I've made so often I don't need a recipe, others I've only tried only once. Most things have been a success. I still love stew. Now that we have a grill, I've learned to grill steaks and hamburgers (not rocket science, but a new skill for me). Pot stickers are our family's favorite way to eat ground beef, but they're really fiddly so it's a special occasion food. And roasts still rock, if I can preplan enough to thaw one. Truly, buying meat like this has been a great way to expand my recipe repertoire. Barbequed brisket anyone? It's delish!

A few of my favorite things

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 01:03:00 +0000

I am not a gadget person - the more stuff I have means more to lose/break/wash/pick up. However, there are some things that bring me glee and/or are just plain convenient. I'm sure we all have them, some wackier than others. These particular favorite things reflect that I'm in a home improvement phase:

My glue gun - I recently broke it out for Halloween and had so much fun with it, I'm looking for new projects. I glued all the petals onto Natty's Sunflower hat, then glued ribbon around it to hide the unsightly petal ends. My working theory is that anything you want to sew, you might want to try glue-gunning instead. As Alexa and I were getting Sebastian's costume together, she kept saying, "I'll just sew that hem, those dots, etc" and I would say, "Well, let me try glue gunning it instead." I'm not sure if my enthusiasm was wonderful or appalling, but it got the job done.
Since I don't have a sewing machine, I am getting a lot more done now that I stopped saying, "I should sew that" and am going nuts with the glue-gun. (Obviously, for things that actually must be sewn (and they do exist) - sew them. Beg, borrow or buy a machine and go for it. Or wait until your mother comes to visit and takes pity on you and your children! I am blessed to belong to a family of very talented seamstresses. I, on the other hand, can sew if I must - it was a part of growing up, like learning how to set the table - but I would never seek out an opportunity.)
Caution: the tip gets VERY hot (think about it: molten glue.) and children must be kept out of the vicinity when it's plugged in. That's both a plus and a minus.

My paint sprayer - I splurged and got one this summer for my painting frenzy. While it won't bring world peace, it's a pretty nifty tool. I painted 2 bed frames and 2 dressers in 2 days (more or less). Pretty close to instant gratification.
To be fair, there's a learning curve you've got to ride and even when you have the technique perfected (mostly), the small-time model I bought can't handle everything. For instance, after the first coat of primer I found out I needed to re-prime the beds with oil-based Kilz to stop the bleed-through and I didn't attempt that with the sprayer because thick paint clogs it. It also wastes a lot of paint, and the clean-up is pretty intense. Nonetheless, I'm a fan. It's so fast! So, power-tooley! It looks so official and Murray will take the kids away for vast tracts of time while I'm doing it! Nice.

My paint sprayer/terrorist outfit

Yes, that is a dishtowel on my head and a surgical gown I'm wearing. My fashion sense is keen, no?

The British came

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:57:00 +0000

We just had a visit with our dear friends from London. How often do people promise to come, but it just never works out - All the time, right?
So it was especially great to have friends make the long trek across the pond with THREE boys (almost 2, 4 and 6 - yikes!). Murray took the 10 days off and we let'er rip.

Mystic, Sturbridge Village, Boston, Hartford, feeding the chickens, leaf jumping, cricket, hikes, ticks, wine by the fire, lots of chocolate, chasing the chickens, a bit of running by the adults (not enough though) and Halloween! I'm totally exhausted - it's the happy kind of exhaustion with no regrets (but I do have a cold).

The kids had a great time too - Natty is right between Max and Zach and the 3 of them had their ups and downs, but the downs were minimal and the ups were long and frequent. Such a relief - one never knows how/if the pack will run, does one?

For sheer fun to watch though, the babies won the day. (that's what we called them as we were managing the 5 - "We've got the Babies, can you watch the Big Kids?")

Those little guys were just plain adorable together. Two blondie-blondie toddler boys, harassing the rooster, tripping over their own feet, having spitting contests - it was priceless.

Obviously, that's Sebastian in the Halloween post's picture with Natty and Sam. Alexa and I thought the combination of bee and lady bug was pretty awesome.
Truly, the pictures do not do the fabulous cuteness justice. When they toddled, the bouncy suits wobbled and the antennae bobbled and the moms laughed until they cried.

Onward fearless decorator

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 14:32:00 +0000

In the year + we have lived in this house, Murray and I have done quite a number of projects. Yet there are still a few spaces that make me growl with irritation when I walk past. The Nesting Place said there are 2 things you need for a project: inspiration and motivation. For myself, I would add one more thing: I need a deadline.

With the deadline of 3 boys and 2 adults coming for 10 days and the motivation of no sufficiently comfortable set-up for them, I took on one of my nemesis rooms. The "blue room" (aka the small playroom) opens off of the dining room and is part of a "loop" from the dining room, library, office, blue room and dining room again. I'm a big fan of household traffic loops when you have small children. But this one is not optimal and I wasn't too upset about breaking it by making the blue room into a guest bedroom (it has a bathroom attached) because, let's face it, there is plenty of room for kids to roam in this house.

Here's what I was replacing:

I wasn't particularly inspired, but felt that if I just got started, inspiration would strike. I initially planned to paint over the wall paper, but when I got out the trusty TSP to wash the walls, it became painfully clear that I should remove the paper. Which I really, really didn't want to do at first. Then I started and it peeled off in big strips and was hugely satisfying. (Not to Natalie though. I had neglected to tell her of my plans and when she came home from school and saw what I had done, she burst into tears. And proceeded to weep every time she walked into the room for the next 3 days. Oh well, when she has her own house she can make her own decorating decisions. And she does have some input because she convinced me to paint it blue instead of green).

Unfortunately, removing the wall paper did leave behind the glue. Looking at that, I knew I had a job on my hands. I didn't know how to get it off, so I googled it and got a few techniques to try. First one: baking soda and water. It got the glue off all right, but really did a number on the underlying wall paint/stuff as well. It could be that the wall that I used it on was the external wall ("old house" plaster) and different than the others - it was the touchiest and the one I struggled with the most. Next up: vinegar and water. OK - just as good as the first, and didn't mangle the undercoat. Third option: Chomp, a wallpaper remover which I had had all along but hadn't bothered to try (?!?). I used it on a small, new wall, (so the experiment design had some flaws), but it was the best. They all required serious elbow grease but the Chomp will be my first choice next time.

By now the clock was ticking. I started the project 10 days before the Thurs night I planned to have guests sleeping in the room - the walls were finally ready for paint perhaps... on Tuesday? Cleaned, spackled and primed. During that week we had house guests for 2 nights and on Tuesday we had to go pack our 1/2 of a cow - oh joy - so it's not like I was sitting around ignoring my glue splotched walls.

Paint choices - blue was the color that would make my weeping angel happy, and I'd had such good luck with my previous mixing, that I visited our paint storage shelf again. Not such instant success as before, but eventually, I found something I liked. Darker than I'd have thought, but I wanted it grown up, not a bright, child's playroom primary blue. Painting the room was quick, clean up a bit longer, and then it was time to pay a visit to Homegoods.

Lamps, pillows, quilt - and a bit more, loaded in my car (I did this with both children on Wednesday night - that's what a deadline will do for you).

Here's the finished product. Except not quite finished. But good enough that I let our friends sleep there! Any ideas? Opinions?

Halloween photos

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:27:00 +0000

Natty and Sam - quite a pair!

Natalie the Sunflower with her two helpful bugs - Sam the Bee and Sebastian the Ladybug ("Ladybird" in English english)

Setting out, with Max the vampire and Rori the Monarch butterfly. Batman Zach, Hunter Ian and Superman Cal are already far ahead - they had no time for a photo shoot when candy was waiting!

Say again?

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 10:48:00 +0000

Last night, up-dating Murray on where to start reading in "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" Natty said, "We're at the part where Edmund goes into Narnia and meets the Witch and eats Chicken Delicious."

Halloween Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 02:19:00 +0000

Natty had a Halloween Party today, which meant I had to make her costume early. At first I balked at such an idea, but I came around to it because I work for deadlines. With October 11 my deadline, I was glue-gunning ribbon to her hat this morning (when both kids were napping) rather than Halloween morning (when I will have a houseful of guests). Now I can put off finishing Sam's costume until the last minute!

Can you tell what she is? Yes, a sunflower! And Sam will be a bee. Get it? a flower and a bee? She wanted to be a pair costume with him. But I think she's pretty cute on her own too.

A successful furniture re-do

noreply@blogger.com (Jen, Murray, Natalie and Samuel) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 04:45:00 +0000

Trying to fill our house with furniture that a) fits us and b) is affordable is a daunting task. (Especially for someone who really doesn't like shopping!). So I go to tag sales and get stuff with potential - this works best when I bring my amazingly talented artistic home decorator friends along. I got this dresser at a tag sale in the spring and after I took all the hardware and the cabinet doors off, it sat looking like an eyesore in our barn for the summer.

I finally got around to working on it a few weeks ago when I primed a whole load of things with my new paint sprayer - nothing like new equipment to jump-start a project.

Even though we have about 500 buckets of paint, I didn't have a color that I liked for this. However I was optimistic that I could mix a few colors I had to make one I wanted. I was rather nervous about it, but found two that were the same brand and finish and seemed like they might be the ticket. Then I read on line that you can mix paints with great abandon (brands, finishes, whatever) and have success so I was emboldened to pull out another color I thought might be needed to round it out.

Well, I was in such luck! Just dumping the first 2 colors together created the exact blue I was wanting. (I'm not a color perfectionist though so it's easy to make me happy). I love serendipity like that! The only problem was that I didn't have enough paint to spray it on with my new razzmatazz paint sprayer which guzzles paint. Thankfully I did have enough to get the whole thing covered - barely.

Then the issue was; what to do with the holes in the cabinet doors that used to be ugly laminated lattice? Well, I had just ordered some gorgeous fabric from fabricguru. So in a few quick minutes, I had them trimmed to fit and temporarily in. Ta-da! It's a great feeling to finish a job.

The plan was to put it in a craft/office area for me. But Natty likes it too and doesn't have a good dresser so maybe she should have it. The tie-breaker might be moving it - Natty's room is upstairs, my office is downstairs and it's heavy.

I also painted a wardrobe for her dress-ups, but don't have the hardware on it so don't call that finished.

And my big project is the kids room! Can't wait to show everyone how that turns out. We have a tree painted on the wall and one wall of moulding up. Now to install birdhouses (with doors that open so they can store treasures inside), put up the rest of the moulding and get a carpet. I can't wait!