Mommy Blog: Adventures in Baby Feeding- Part Two

Today was the day we started Kaitlyn on food other than cereal.  After obsessively reading all information I could find about what food to try first, I settled on avocados.





This is what Kaitlyn thought of my choice.





Even after some of the familiar rice cereal, she was still dazed...

Field Trip: Berry Picking

I got to go berry picking with this little guy yesterday.

Astute VFN readers will notice that the little cutie is wearing a life jacket. And in front of a background of water. That's because we were on a boat. The good berries are always a little ways outside of town.





We stopped by the white truck. Apparently, it's a local landmark.





We were surrounded by beautiful fall colors.





At our feet were berries. They grow really close to the ground.





These are the berries from this post. They are called blackberries by people around here, but another name for them is crowberries. They are less desirable than blueberries or cranberries, but they were the most plentiful, so I decided to pick them.





My little boating buddy picked shotgun shells.





I was quite pleased with how many berries I got in a few hours. The women from Brevig and Shishmaref would probably laugh if they saw how few berries I got. They typically pick up to twenty-five gallons a season.





The berries are beautiful. I look forward to enjoying them this winter.

Mommy Blog: Kaitlyn Lately

Taking the advice of my esteemed readers, I'm going to embrace the concept of the mommy blog. I'm not ready to give up all of VFN to mommy land, but I am willing to create a new category: Mommy Blog.





This is Kaitlyn's pose of choice. She seriously does it all the time, complete with her arm stuck out.





Bathtime is fun time. Now that Mommy has mastered the art of the getting the temperature right, Kaitlyn really enjoys her baths.





The drying off part is not so much fun...





Kaitlyn loves to stick out her tongue. Daddy insists it is a sign of intelligence.





We've officially entered the teething stage. Two coming in on the bottom, and two ready to pop out on top. That means a lot of drool, a little bit of fussiness, and a daily struggle to apply Anbesol.

Pro: Late Sunrises

Anyone who knows me well knows that I don't do mornings. I am super crabby need some time to wake up and adjust to a new day before I talk to anybody or do anything. As such, the number of sunrises I've witnessed in my lifetime is very small.

Until I moved to Alaska. Daylight is coming later and later everyday, putting a sunrise within the realm of possibility.

I popped out of bed at 7:15am on Saturday (that doesn't sound impressive, but it's a good four hours earlier than normal on a Saturday) for no apparent reason. When I looked out the window, the sky was lit up in pink and purple. It was so gorgeous that I woke Steve up to share it with me (Irritatingly, Steve is a morning person. That is why waking him up was a good idea. If the situation were reversed, waking me up would be hazardous to Steve's well-being).

Steve watched the baby while I went outside to pursue the sunrise with my camera. That's when I got this:



No photoshop. No color enhancement. No nothing. Just plain beauty.





When I turned around, I saw a rainbow. Best. Morning. Ever.

Introducing Cooking In Bush Alaska

You may have noticed that VFN has been sort of preoccupied with food lately. That's because the editor-in-chief has recently found herself with a lot more time to cook and experiment in the kitchen.

Lest my faithful readers get overwhelmed by all the deliciousness, I decided to start a food blog. Those of you who are into food, cooking, and eating can enjoy all of my culinary adventures. Those of you that are just here for the witty commentary about life in Alaska can enjoy that commentary without all of this food stuff getting in the way.

I reposted all of the VFN Creative Cooking posts on the new blog just to flesh it out a little, but there's some new stuff. Expect more.

Cooking in Bush Alaska

Check it out.

Fun Fact: My Favorite Way to Eat Berries

I was going to tell you that these berries were Alaskan blueberries, but then I did an internet search to make sure. It turns out I've been misidentifying these berries for almost seven years. According to this and this they are blackberries or crowberries.

At any rate, the above picture is of Alaskan berries. They grow near Shishmaref and Brevig Mission.






Frozen berries are best served in a little glass bowl...





sprinkled with sugar...





and covered with evaporated milk (my friend Ginger uses half and half, but I don't keep that around the house).







The milk crystallizes around the frozen berries, and the sugar makes it just sweet enough.

Mmmmmmmm. The bounty of Alaska.