Adventures in Alaska: Greg's Moose and the start of Wrestling

Our friend Greg got his first moose last week, and here is Nathaniel showing off the antlers.

We had a very cute audience.

This little one was mesmerized by Dora while we cut up her daddy's moose.

Sitting on her daddy's antlers to compare sizes.

Back inside, we started taking these chunks and cutting them into small pieces to put into the grinder. We also cut up steaks and roasts with the better pieces of meat.

Moose chunks ready to be rinsed off and ground up.

Grinding the moose.

Putting it into freezer bags.

The bull moose head.

This week was stressful at school, to say the least, so I tried to find ways to alleviate that stress in a productive way... so I made a craft!

Painted Cardboard Letter

I didn't have a Hobby Lobby to go to, so I made the most of what I already had. Here's what I gathered:

cardboard box, pocket knife, pencil, scissors, acrylic paint, glitter, acrylic gloss, ribbon, hot glue gun

1. Trace a letter into the cardboard. Cut out with pocket knife (edges will be rough).

2. Trim the edges with scissors.

3. Get out your acrylic paint.

4. Paint the letter until it is completely covered (may take two coats) on the front and sides.

5. While the paint is still wet, cover the letter entirely with glitter.

6. Let the paint dry.

7. When the paint has dried, cover the glitter with acrylic gloss medium. It will dry clear, but make sure to cover everything or else the glitter will fall off.

8. Tie a bow in the middle of the ribbon.

9. Hot glue the ribbon to the back of the letter.

10. Hang it up!

I walked home for lunch one day, and I thought it was funny that the boardwalk and grass were still frosty where it was in the shade.

Another stress reliever I had to do this week was go on a few runs.

The puddles are starting to freeze. They're fun to walk on and crunch the ice.

I ran to the end of town, this is where the slough meets the Yukon River. The Yukon River starts where the trees end.

Another teacher got a moose this week.

Creamy Chicken and Rice

I loved cooking this in college because it only takes three ingredients: cream of chicken, chicken, and white rice

1. Heat olive oil in pan on med-high heat. Cook pieces of chicken until golden and crispy. (I season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and italian seasoning)

2. Put instant white rice (I used 1/2 c. per person) on the bottom of the bowl.

3. Scoop (right out of the can, I used 4 large spoonfuls) the cream of chicken on top of the rice.

4. Top with chicken pieces.

5. Enjoy your Creamy Chicken and Rice! It's very filling.

This Friday at school, my junior high students had fun buddying up with the kindergarten kids.

They were making an "Apple Man" craft.

My students helped them with learning the concepts of "first, second, third, and fourth."

We got care packages from our parents this week, much needed.

We had a half day on Friday, and in the afternoon we had our video conference meetings with the other schools in the district. To shake things up, all of our staff wore "mustaches." Although Nathaniel doesn't really need a fake mustache.

Wrestling practices started this week. They only have two weeks until they travel to their first tournament in Hooper Bay.

Rolling out the new mats that arrived last year.

They have our school's abbreviation printed on them.

Lined up for drills. We have about 25 consistent members on the team this year, a big improvement over the 6 or 7 member team from last year.

Coach Nathan explaining how to start a match.

At the end of practice, they played a game called "Sumo." Where they line up from lightest to heaviest on the side of the mat. The first two lightest start inside the small circle. The object of the game is to get the other person's feet to step out of the circle. The winner stays inside the circle and the next person in line plays the winner.