'Twas the Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through our home

not a creature was stirring, not even a gnome; 

The stockings were hung by the staircase with care, 

in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; 

And Paul and Melissa were all snug in their bed; 

Yet Abigail (down the hall) could find no rest for her head; 

She knew Quinn and Emily would be sleeping next door,

and Laura in her home, would be all a-snore.

Yet she could not sleep, there was something amiss,

so she got out of her bed, her fears to dismiss. 

When out in the yard there arose such a clatter, 

She sprang to the window to see what was the matter. 

The moon and the stars shown bright on new snow,

the faint rays of morning would soon be aglow.

Yet what was that she spied by the bare flower bed?

Could it be that this vision was all in her head?

For what to her beautiful blue eyes did appear

but a big, bright red sleigh and eight reindeer!

And there standing tall in the white snow so thick,

was someone Abby knew well, it was jolly Saint Nic!

But he didn’t look jolly, oh no he did not,

and his reindeer weren’t happy, they were rather distraught.

So throwing on slippers and grabbing a shawl,

Abby snuck out of her room and tiptoed down the hall.

And reaching the backdoor she opened it wide,

and stood on the edge of the porch there outside.

And low and behold she heard Saint Nic say:

“But it was only one bear, come out Christmas day.

He wouldn’t harm you, not on business like yours."

But the reindeer weren’t happy, they sat down on all fours.

And Abby said quietly, giving Saint Nic a shock,

“But it’s almost Christmas, it’s now five o’clock!

Please reindeer you must hurry, there’s no time to waste!”

Meanwhile Saint Nic had started to pace.

“My dear Abigail, they got a fright and a scare!

While flying over Juneau they spotted a bear."

And then Abby answered with a knowing nod,

“Yes bears can be scary, they are hairy...and clawed.

But a bear-bell will help them know you are there,

and they’ll know that you’ve got business that demands the most care."

And with that she ran again to the door,

and off she went searching for bear-bells galore!

Once she was finished she ran back through the snow,

and she tied bear-bells to the reindeer so that they would know

that bears everywhere would hear them fly by,

and they would look up and see Saint Nick in the sky.

Those bears would think of the gifts in the sleigh 

and they would know not to bother the reindeer that day.

Saint Nic thanked Abigail from the bottom of his heart,

and then he was off with a push and a start.

And as Abby stood there in the yard as he went out of sight,

he called “Merry Christmas to you, and to you a goodnight!”

And with that she sleepily went back up to her bed,

with visions of reindeer prancing through her blonde head.

And as she fell asleep came the first rays of light...

Christmas had come, thanks to Abby’s strange night.

~The End~
Written by Emily 

Happiness Is

Happiness is laughter, 

and what puts a smile on your face.

It could be the feeling of sunshine

or Quinn on the floor playing bass.

Happiness is hunting through tide pools,

and hearing the ocean waves.

It's putting on your favorite apron

and baking cookies to last for days!

It's making memories with family,

to remember when times grow hard.

Remember the times of happiness

when lighting lanterns in the yard.

Happiness is a wish made as the last

of the candles go out.

And knowing that wish will come true someday,

for you don't have reason to doubt.

---------------------------------------------

What are some things in your life that make you happy? 
Share with us down below in the comments!

Count Your Blessings

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; 

his love endures forever!

Psalm 118:1

   Sometimes in this life (okay, maybe ALL the time), its hard to concentrate on your blessings. The world that we live in is full of the new, the better, the best thing that we think we need. Or sometimes we just lose focus on what is really important to us. 

   I would like to ask you to take a moment and do what we did this week: count your blessings. As the old hymn says "Count your blessings, count them one by one. Count your blessings see what God has done." 

   Counting the blessings in your life suddenly puts our minds back into perspective. God is in control of our situations, our life. And we can trust Him to finish the work He's started.

Help us count our blessings:

on our fingers, on our toes.

Help us shout them to the heavens

so that the whole world knows.

For we have a Heavenly Father

who knows our every need.

For it's He who clothes the lily,

and it's He the sparrows heed.

Teach us to be thankful:

for what we have, not what we don't.

And please be patient when we listen,

for we often simply won't.

So help us count our blessings

in this world of many things.

For we won't need stuff in heaven,

for You'll make us Kings and Queens.

We'd love to hear some of the blessings in your life! 

Feel free to comment below and share with us.

The Feeling of Spring

It's beginning to feel like spring here in Juneau.

Although Melissa hasn't touched her flower garden yet, seeds have been ordered for the new plantings and already there are signs of green things coming up beneath the melting snow.

The sun has been coming out and warming the earth, and we're just so excited for spring to come.

'For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.'

Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Here are the words to the poem I wrote 

for the video if you care to read them:

There’s a feeling, a feeling of good things to come

And the world seems to have it right now.

A feeling of Spring, of sunshine and warmth

Of green things and buds on the bough.

The song birds are singing, though the snow may still fall

We’re certain that Spring is close by.

For if you look closely at the bare flower beds

Small plants may just catch your eye.

Yes this feeling is here though we’re not yet sure how

We know you've all felt it too.

It’s the feeling that winter, no matter how long

Will end when it’s time is due.

For the birds are now here and they’re building their nests

The bears will soon wake from their beds

The garden will grow like a fairy tale told

With flowers of bright pinks and reds.

The mountain tops will shed their snow

The creeks will run wild and fast

And when the clouds part and the sun shines her head

The sky will seem more then vast.

There’s a feeling, a feeling of good things to come

And the world is caught up in the spell.

This feeling of Spring, of sunshine and warmth

Where only winter seems to dwell.

(Not to be taken seriously)

If you wish to be a member of 

the Alaska String Band troop,

then be careful for you will find yourself

jumping through some hoops.

You must love chocolate and coffee,

and makeup and teased hair.

You must play several stringed instruments

and have a voice beyond compare.

You must live (of course) in Alaska,

where the winters never cease.

And don't even think about produce

(oranges are a dollar a piece).

The mountains may be lovely

but they're always hidden by clouds.

And Juneau is empty in winter,

but in summer look out for crowds!

You will play several shows a day

and always wear a smile.

And pray you don't get stuck at the tram

for you'll have to wait a while...

You'll need to be friends with Xochie,

the evil family bird.

(She sings 'Happy Birthday'

the creepiest way you've ever heard)

You'll need to practice for long hours

cooped up inside all day.

(Not that you'll want to go out...

the sky is always gray)

So you see, it really isn't that fun 
being in the band.
And I think we all agree, we'd rather be 
on a beach buried in sand.

The Mermaids in the Family

Before reading this blog post,
please take a moment to watch this video:

Now, let me set the record straight: if you come to an Alaska String Band show, Abigail and I will not have tails. However, if you stop by the pool or the beach on a nice day, you may find us there! 

The story behind this is an exciting one! Quinn and I had been dating for a few months, but I hadn't really spent a lot of time around Abigail. But after spending only a short time with her one day we both found we had a lot in common. One of those things being a love for mermaids. 

Abigail had been longingly looking at a website that sold mermaid tails for swimming in, but she didn't want to get one by herself (having a friend with you is always more fun!). Instantly I said I would get one with her, and we did! 

Here's Valerie in her tail.

Several months later we both had our tails, and the swimming and photo shoots began! My youngest sister, Valerie, felt very left out however. One free Saturday I made her a mermaid tail of her very own, and she then went with us to the pool and we were a lovely trio of mermaids!

Just a few months ago, Abby got a new tail! Unlike our fabric ones (with swim fins in the tail), this was a fancy tail - made with neoprene and silicone. Because we've been so busy, she's hardly gotten to use it (and it's been winter...not good swimming weather), so we had fun going to the pool and shooting the video above!

Below is a poem I wrote for Abigail 

shortly after we got our mermaid tails together. 

I hope you enjoy it!

The Story of Abigail Katherine

The ocean churned and twisted, a storm was coming soon

Clouds gathered in the sky, covering up a silver moon

And underneath the seething waves a mermaid calmly slept

Not worried about the currents or all the clouds that wept.

Her name was Abigail Katherine, a lovely mermaid indeed.

Whose hobbies consisted of drawing, singing, and finding time to read.

She also loved to sit on rocks and at passing ships she’d wave

And her home was in a hollow of a wonderful undersea cave.

Now some mermaids are fearsome and not kind to humans at all

But Abigail was the sweetest and to humans would often call

“Hello, hello! How are you? Would you like to come and play?”

But the humans would never come, no matter what she’d say.

The night that we meet Abby (that’s what she’s called for short)

The storm had picked up terribly closing the nearby port.

Because of this a single ship had somehow lost its way

And the family on board couldn’t get to the safety of the bay.

By this time the sweet Abigail was very much awake

She heard the cries of the humans and decided what action to take:

Up, up she swam through the water, determination in her eyes,

And coming up next to the boat she tried to gage its size.

It was a pretty tiny ship compared to others that she’d seen

So using her strong tail, she pushed and pulled and leaned!

And using the ocean currents she brought it out of the storm

Although it was a little ragged and the sails were somewhat torn

But Abigail Katherine had saved the day, so she let out a cheer!

Leading the safe (though a bit confused) family to hear…

And as they looked over the boat and saw the mermaid of blue

They all smiled and happily yelled out a booming “Thank you!”

Abigail still lives in her undersea cave beneath an ocean of foam.

But she often leaves to see her human friends and she’s often given to roam

She plays all day in the sun and rain all along her rocky coast,

And she’s the sweetest mermaid around (and much prettier than most). 

Happy Birthday to Laura

                        

If there's one thing we love in the Zahasky household (besides coffee, chocolate, and sunshine), it's a party! Yesterday marked Laura's 24th birthday, but we celebrated early, having a party for her last Saturday. One of the ovens was covered in brightly wrapped presents, and the whole house was filled with delicious smells. 

The table was set, everything was ready...

we just needed the birthday girl!

Laura wore a sparkly birthday crown all throughout the evening, especially made by me! It proudly said "Birthday Queen" on it (for she was indeed the Birthday Queen).





While Mom and Dad worked in the kitchen to get everything finished, Quinn and Laura tried to get Xochie to sing "Happy Birthday" (her favorite song to sing, unless it's someone's birthday of course...). 

Everyone was given a start when dad, after coming out of the cupboard, said "There's a mouse in there!" I know I jumped a bit! A mouse? In the cupboard!? 




It wasn't until everyone looked with surprise at the cupboard did they understand Dad's joke...

An adorable little felted mouse Abigail had given mother not long ago.

Abigail helped mom put the finishing touches on the incredible torte she had made as a birthday cake for Laura. Layers of chocolate, homemade whipped cream, raspberries and mint chocolate shavings had everyone more excited for dessert than dinner! 

How on earth would we wait for such

a lovely birthday cake?!

Dinner was wonderful, and before we knew it, it was time for presents!

What was Laura's favorite present you ask? 
Well of course it was the fancy coffee given to her by mom and dad! Coffee is always the best present.

24 birthday candles were lit,

a song was sung,

and the candles were blown out to cheers and laughs. 

As an after dinner treat, everyone gathered out on the back porch in the rainy, windy weather to light lanterns...that way all of Juneau would know that it was Laura's special day!

What makes a house a home, you ask?

Well we think the answer is this:

It’s a place to fill with love and family,

A place when you’re gone you’ll miss.

It’s a place where memories have been made,

It’s the place where new memories will come.

A home is not always tidy or clean,

But you’re proud to say where you’re from.

The windows hold faces of people you love

There are pictures of people you miss…

And on cold winter evenings we’ll gather around

We’ll laugh and talk and reminisce. 

And as the last lantern became only a twinkling light 

in the dark, Alaskan sky, 

we all wished Laura a most wonderful happy birthday. 

We hope this next year is amazing for you Laura!