Joyce and Ed Millet

2011-12-26T12:28:00.000-08:00

Yes, we made it safely home. The weather was beautiful, expect for dense fog between Pendleton, Oregon and Kennewick, Washington.

2011-12-26T12:24:00.000-08:00

The bowls are reversed. At the beginning of our mission the left one was full. Each Sunday we took one stone out and put it in the right bowl.

We thought this day would never come, but now the left bowl is empty and the right is full - full of wonderful memories. We would not have missed this experience for the world.

2011-12-26T12:15:00.000-08:00

My Ohio song has been, "I am foot loose and fancy free. I carry no purse. I carry no key."

I will miss waiting for Elder Millet to park the car in the garage. The view is great six floors above the lobby. He ways gives such a wonderful greeting with hat off and blowing kisses.

We will miss the beautiful view from our apartment. We will not miss the winter weather in Cleveland.

Oh, yes, we will miss it all very much. We have had a wonderful mission. We love the young single adults and all those we have worked with. We are leaving with very mixed emotions.

2011-12-26T12:06:00.000-08:00

Our last class in Hiram where attendance was unpredictable. David Schneck and Gina Huschka were our most reliable and "favorite students." David was from Akron and Gina from Cleveland. Their date night began with Institute at Hiram on Tuesdays. We love them.

2011-12-26T12:04:00.000-08:00

Last class at Cleveland Stake Center: Randy LeBron, Jeremy Taphus, Tom Sanka, Stephen Born, Stephanie Canonizado, Megan Horner, Shanon Canonizado. We love them. Their favorite treat was Challah Bread.

2011-12-26T11:58:00.001-08:00

Last class at Wade Park: Back row: Brad Jones, Nathan Graves, Elder Rangle, Paul Crowley, LaShawn Haley, Steven Wyler. Next: Justin Nelson, James Gibson, Joe Barwick, Tali Nay. In Between: Kali Wiegel, Kelsey Potter, Lauren Tyrrell, Rachel Gianetta, Cynthia Tsien, Anna Bowman, Molly Sabolsky. In Between: Emily Butler, Sheryl Robbins, Lauren Roth, Maureen McNeeley. Next: Chris Hurt, Mike Adam, Sister/Elder Millet, John Adams, Elder Hansen. Front: Elder, Robin Bender, Natalie and Raymond Webber. We love them.

We did not get a photo of our noon lunch group who gave us a beautiful cake which we served for dessert. We love them.

2011-12-26T11:58:00.000-08:00

2011-12-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

Lauren Roth received $50 at our last class. She said, "I'm glad I memorized The Family. The doctrine is perfect and I refer to it again and again."

2011-11-11T06:37:00.000-08:00

Since we are going home soon we have really encouraged our students to memorize "The Family Proclamation." Last week Elder Millet was inspired to go to the bank to replenish his supply of $50 bills. What a surprise we had at our lunch class this week - 4 students had memorized it. After hearing all 4 students quote it the other students were halfway there to memorizing. They work well under pressure as the time is short. What mixed emotions we have about that fact. We will miss our experiences here big time.

Jeff Clark went first.

Next was Jamie Clark.

Then Canda Ashworth.

We were impressed that everyone was still listening when Tim Ashworth was finished.

We work with such outstanding young people. It is surprising that we have had more memorizers with our married students - 7 to 3. Elder Millet says this is the best money he has spent while on our mission. I agree. Everyone was excited.

2011-11-11T06:26:00.000-08:00

Beth Graham received $50 from Elder Millet for memorizing "The Family Proclamation." We how have 6 who have done so. Good job, Beth.

2011-08-21T18:45:00.000-07:00

Wow! Quincunx was a 7 letter word on a double, double word which gave Sister Millet 150 points. That's the highest scoring word yet. Elder Millet and I love to play Scrabble.

2011-07-27T05:40:00.000-07:00

The full-time missionaries are presenting lessons to our Institute classes this week on how to invite, commit, and follow through. They stressed the importance of bearing a simple testimony, something that is sometimes forgotten in Fast and Testimony Meeting. I followed through with a testimony glove - which they all loved. It was a true "hand-out."

Our testimony can be remembered on our hand: 1) God the Father lives, loves us, and hears and answers our prayers. 2) Jesus is the Christ the Redeemer of the world. 3)Joseph Smith was the prophet of the restoration. We have a living prophet today. 4) The Book of Mormon is the word of God. 5) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's church on the earth today and is the only true and living Church.

It was a great lesson. The awesome YSA were excited about their testimony glove more so, perhaps, than Primary children.

2011-07-27T05:36:00.000-07:00

We have a "Jack in the tomato stalk" that just grows and grows. Now that there is no more rail to tie it to the fronds are growing out and we have a tomato above the rail. Elder Millet picked 4 large and 4 cherry tomatoes today. What flavor!

2011-07-07T07:06:00.000-07:00

Elder Millet and I were so pleased last night. As we were serving refreshments Roy Merker, a student from Michigan who is working in Cleveland for the summer shyly asked, "Elder Millet are you still giving $50 for memorizing The Family Proclamation?" YES, YES! He did a great job and was thrilled with his prize. We always say we have $50 for anyone who will accomplish the feat.

Our favorite theme this year has been "All who will . . . may."

Roy Merker

2011-07-07T06:35:00.000-07:00

Here is Elder Millet out standing in his field - or tomato patch to be more exact. Since we live on the West side of the building we get only the afternoon sun, but it seems to be enough. The plants were purchased at different times and we will have big ones and small ones all summer. It's amazing how much water they can consume.

This is our third ripe tomato.

2011-06-23T11:27:00.002-07:00

Elder Millet offered $50 to any student who memorized "The Family, A Proclamation to the World." To date 4 students have accomplished the task and quoted it successfully to their respective classes:

Katie Wells

2011-06-23T11:27:00.001-07:00

Linda Titera

2011-06-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

Emily Keller

2011-06-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

Rosa Bagley

2011-06-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

This Scrabble game gets the cheers for the longest word we have ever played. It took 3 turns: provide - provident - providential.

2011-06-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

Ohio is known for its maple syrup. The weather was perfect for a bounteous harvest. We went to Burton, Ohio for a maple outing. Our Institute students enjoyed the maple sugar cookies Elder Millet made for them.

2011-06-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

We had the wonderful opportunity to attend the 175th anniversary of the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. The meeting was at 6:00 in the morning and was a spiritual feast. We are so fortunate to be near the temple. The sun came up and shone through the window right at the perfect time in the meeting.

2011-06-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

On a beautiful summer day it's fun to remember the snow. This is from our balcony and yes we had snow all winter.

2011-01-12T08:03:00.001-08:00

Since we are 3 hours closer to Times Square in New York City we stayed up and watched the ball drop on New Year's Eve. Our atomic clock proves the fact. Note that the outside temperature was over 50 degrees. We are having a winter heatwave. 2010 was a great year and we know 2011 will be wonderful too. We have been on missions on January 1 in the years: 2004, 2009, 2010, and 2011.

2011-01-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

Elder Millet won the prize (cheer, cheer, cheer) for the biggest Scrabble score yet: 123 points. I had just put down a 7-letter word TOWAGES. He then put down DETESTS which gave him a triple word score both ways: 27 for Detests, 36 for Stowages, 50 for a 7-letter word, and he also got 3 for DO, 2 for EN, and 5 for SLAG. Good going Elder Millet.

2011-01-12T07:56:00.000-08:00

We received so many lovely Christmas gifts. We enjoyed Troy and Leslie's 12 day package; wondered why we received toilet paper from Roger and Leanne since they did not add the cute message; loved all the goodies from everyone; new bread pans from Marie; President Monson's "To The Rescue" from Marla; and this edible arrangement from Tom and Joette. Lori's package was appreciated as an after Christmas special. Thank, many thanks to all. We had a great Christmas.

2011-01-12T07:51:00.000-08:00

Elder Millet and I wrapped up 48 of these little gifts and passed them out to whomever we chatted with on our way here and there. In addition to a package of M&S's and the cute poem we had a flyer for the Kirtland Stake Nativity Display, which was wonderful with over 700 nativities. It was fun for us to see if we could give 48 of them during the month of December and we did!

2011-01-12T07:41:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas Mission Conference included a sacrament meeting at the Kirtland Temple. Each missionary had an opportunity to bear their testimony in the temple. What a choice experience.

2011-01-08T11:58:00.000-08:00

I am slow in posting the pictures of our beautiful lobby. The Christmas decorations were lovely. It is wonderful to live in such a marvelous apartment complex.

2011-01-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

2011-01-08T11:43:00.000-08:00

2011-01-08T09:03:00.000-08:00

2011-01-08T08:43:00.000-08:00

2010-12-06T04:54:00.000-08:00

We are fortunate to have an exercise room in our building. Elder Millet and I get up at 6:30 and go walk for a mile or so. It's a good time to think, contemplate, and thank our Father in Heaven for his many blessings.

This little lady on the 4th floor almost always beats us up and is walking when we go down to exercise. She walks a little then leans on the rail to rest. She is very diligent.

2010-11-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

At Family Home Evening we are talking about gratitude for our ancestors. We are to choose someone to talk about and share something with the group. I chose my mother and decided to make gingerbread boys. Marie helped with the recipe and Elder Millet did the frosting. Instead of red hots we added mini M&M's. They were so good that it took me back 55 years or more. Mother never failed to have gingerbread boys for each person in our classes for Valentine's Day. Now, with 5 children and 25-30 in each class that's a lot of cookies. On the day before the holiday we came home from school and found every surface in the house covered with cookies. What a great mom we had.

2010-11-22T13:39:00.000-08:00

November 6 brought snow. The flakes were so big they came down in "families." What a beautiful sight. We were glad it did not last long.

2010-11-22T13:37:00.001-08:00

A beautiful spot along the Chagrin River. The bank just fell away. We wondered if they had a fence at the top. We did not notice an ambulance down in the valley.

2010-11-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

Beautiful fall tree right below our bedroom.

2010-10-25T06:25:00.000-07:00

Fall in Ohio is very beautiful. We have been negligent about taking our camera to snap the beautiful colors. The traffic does not allow one to stop by the side of the road. So - we will settle with the view from our balcony.

With many of the leaves gone we are able to see the school kids play soccer. The other morning when we were going to visit a seminary we saw deer along this road. When we started the car in the parking lot about where the big white van is parked they simply looked up at us. As we drove out we saw that there were 5 of them.

Our car is parked near the building as you can see. When we come home late at night the only parking spaces are clear to the end of the lot.

2010-10-25T05:10:00.000-07:00

Our dear President Stewart with whom we served our first year at Temple Square passed away on October 15. President and Sister Stewart were outstanding examples of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We loved them very much.

He loved to tell the story of lifting the horse and how by how doing every day strengthens us. He loved football. The football picture is in the hole of the tree. Click to see a bigger image. The pigs are very special. He told of his mother snoring when he was little and how he thought pigs were after him. All our fears about missionary work were refered to as pigs. He constantly asked that we kill the pigs. We even had a wonderful kill the pig barbecue. The train reminded us about how small a change can take you where you do not want to go. Let's fly with the eagles.

What a great man. What a great experience our Temple Square Mission was.

2010-10-08T06:45:00.000-07:00

We came home from Institute late and found a message that a box had arrived and was at the office. Well, this morning Elder Millet went and got it. Marie sent Gumdrop Cakes - three of them. What a treat. Happy Birthday, Joyce.

Mother made gumdrop cake for my birthday for years. The main ingredients gum drops and pecans. I would cut it in very small pieces, vacuum pack, and freeze them. That way I had treats all year long.

Mother had a "secret ingredient" that Marie did not have, but, Marie's tasted just as good as Mothers. Thank you, Marie, for the fond memories.

2010-10-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

The UPS man rang our bell and 2 birthday boxes arrived. We were so excited. The one on top was from my sister Marla - RHUBARB! We began making dumplings immediately!

As you can see the trip from Utah did not harm the rhubarb. Ed cut it up with very little waste.

Make the pie dough: 1 Pound Margarine, 8 oz. Cream Cheese, 4 cups flour. Mix well and then roll into little circles.

Put a hand full of rhubarb in the center and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Fold over.

Place upside down in a 9x13 baking dish.

Fill the pan and gently press the dumplings to level out.

The syrup is about 1 1/2 cups water, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 4 T Margarine. Bring to a boil and pour over the dumplings.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. You can eat them hot, warm, or cold. Delicious.

Add a little ice cream.

Happy Birthday, Joyce.

We had enough rhubarb left over for a rhubarb custard pie. Thanks again, Marla.

2010-10-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful surprise - Mrs. Prindable's Chocolate Apples from Roger, Troy and their families. Wow! Thank you. Thank you. Again, Happy Birthday, Joyce.

2010-09-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

We love to visit the "dump site" in back of our building and have found some very nice and useful things. The lamp was the only light in our bedroom and came in very handy. We also found lots of candles for our 72 hour kits.

Our kitchen is kept clean by the broom and mop we found. You can't imagine the nice serving dishes and glassware that was thrown away. We took most of it, and anything else we find that is good but not useable by us, to the Salvation Army Thrift Store.

The picture adds to the atmosphere in our apartmet because "nice matters".

Baskets for magazines and to carry most things are very useful. We keep the stroller in the car. It is good when we have too many groceries to carry.

2010-09-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

Where does one put all the keepable lessons? I thought, "A file would be nice." Well the very next day we were coming home and there on a neighbors lawn was a desk and a file cabinet. We rushed our groceries home and when we got back another couple was eyeing our find. They were interested in the desk - so we took the file. It fit perfectly.

Yesterday I was working on two lessons and the pile of books was unmanageable. I thought, "If I only had a little table that could go next to my chair." Well, this morning there it was. Couldn't be better. It's about 18" high and as you can see it holds a variety of study materials within easy reach.

2010-08-19T06:08:00.000-07:00

At Zone Conference last week the sisters from Chardon Branch furnished our lunch. They had a most wonderful sliced tomatoes they had purchased from the Amish in Burton. Since we teach Insitiute in Chardon on Wednesdays we decided to make a day of it and see the sights. This was the first indication we found the right area.

2010-08-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

It was fun to see buggies parked at the stores and horse droppings across the parking lot.

Wal-Mart had nice covered buggy parking areas.

Since it was a nice sunny summer day not very many farmers were in town. The produce stand we visited was doing a booming business.

2010-08-19T05:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, we're in Amish country.

2010-08-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

We had an authenic lunch at Mary Yoder's. We had a hard time finding it and asked two little ladies. They gave us directions and then said, "It's really expensive, but, you it will be OK if you go there once."

We had noodles on mashed potatoes smothered with chicken gravy. It sounder gross but Martha Mae, our server, said it was delicious - and it was. It filled us up and after a couple hours we had room for a Blizzard at Dairy Queen.

What a great day!

2010-08-19T05:28:00.000-07:00

The Middlefield Cheese factory is famous for its Swiss cheese. We went through the museum and saw the film on cheesemaking. Elder Millet liked the sharp Swiss and I went for the mild. I think I like his best. The factory is on Nauvoo Road. It is neat that an Amish community would chose a Hebrew name for its street.

2010-08-19T05:17:00.000-07:00

This brought back lots of memories. Growing up we had a cow and separated the milk. Mother used the cream as her bartering tool. The town seamstress really liked cream and made lovely dresses for us in exchange.

It took quite a while and a bit of muscle to work the separator but the worse part was washing it. There was about 25 little parts that stacked together and each had to be washed individually. Mother checked up on us to make sure it was done properly. If I had a choice of the two jobs I would do the turning and Marie would have to wash it.

2010-08-19T05:05:00.000-07:00

Leslie wrote, "This is how big the tomato plants were when we got back from Utah. They were huge and we picked 25 pounds that I used to can tomato sauce. We picked several more pounds for eating. And I'm sure there is plenty more waiting. The kids had a great time picking. Thanks for the yummy garden!"

Yes, we have tomataoes too - by the bushel. Thanks to the Amish produce stand. What will we ever do with so many? We also got a bushel of peaches, many zucchini, onions, a huge green pepper, and fresh basil. No pineapple pie - shucks.

2010-08-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

The most important thing about Family Home Evening (we are the shepherds for our YSA Ward) is the treats. Well, I got the great idea of making bread and baking it at the building. We put the dough in the fix and mix and started out. We stopped to get gas and at the gas station I opened the back of the car and punched the bread down. Remember it is HOT in Ohio.

By the time we got to the building the dough was way over the top of the bowl again. Thank goodness it was stuck to the lid or we would have had a real mess. Shaping the loaves was like working with air and the loaves were very, very lumpy.

I made 8 loaves and even before the lesson started and I had time to take a picture over 2 had been eaten.

The YSA loved the bread and jam regardless and ate and ate. Ed was lucky to get a loaf to take home. We'll try this again in the winter.

2010-08-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

After sleeping on a blow-up bed for two weeks we were thrilled to get a beautiful bedroom set from the Mission Home. The bed is a king pillow top and is soooooo comfortable. The highboy fits in the bedroom and the night stands are here and there. We have lots of drawers and cubbies. We are now set.

2010-08-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

The dresser is awesome and fits in the living room. Please notice that the family pictures could be updated.

2010-08-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

Our work is done here. We not only teach classes but I seem to be the Insitiute secretary. We work with 5 Stakes and each Bishop needs to know something about every activity, etc. We are so thankful for computers.

2010-08-17T06:44:00.001-07:00

We have a place to sit and study. Our couch also makes into a bed. So come and visit. We have room for you.

2010-08-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

Our kitchen is small but adequate. We have a good sized pantry, very large closets, and a storage closet.

2010-08-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

Our bathroom is definately a one-man/onewoman setup, but it has the essentials.

2010-08-17T06:39:00.000-07:00

We found this darling entertainment center at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. Our stereo fit perfectly. What a buy!

2010-08-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

We were thrilled to go to the Columbus Temple with a group of our Young Single Adults. This is the first time we have gone to a temple in the evening for a long time. It is about 3 hours away so it makes a long night.

Karene, Ben, Conrad, and Adam. Great young people.

My boxes of clothes were late in getting sent so I am still wearing the same dress. I hope they come soon.

2010-08-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

This is the view from our balcony. Ohio is very green - just like Lynden. The farmers to not irrigate due to the abundance of rain. The sunsets are gorgeous.

2010-08-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate to join with 56 institute teachers for the last 3 days of their Church History Tour culminating at the Kirtland Historical Site. Brother Karl Anderson (who is our Institute Director) led the tours and what a spiritual experience. The Kirtland Temple is so awesome. Elder Millet's great-great grandfather, Artemus Millet, was the chief mason for its construction.

2010-08-05T06:57:00.000-07:00

Ed at the top of the lighthouse in Fairport Harbor on Erie Canal. The Canal was like the airport in the early days with saints coming and going.

2010-08-05T06:52:00.000-07:00

We are so fortunate. We rented the first apartment we looked at. I had spent 4 days at home on the internet and finally decided to just come and hope for the best - and this is the best. We are near a large shopping center, WalMart, Home Depot, Key Bank, a car lube shop (which we needed after 2200 miles of driving) the major freeways, and the Salvation Army thrift store. What more could we ask for?

The Kirtland Historic Site is about 5 miles away, the Institute and Single Adult Ward which we will be attending about 10 miles. Traffic is very heavy and it takes about 25 minutes to go 10 miles. The streets are very confusing - again thanks for the GPS.

2010-08-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

We are on the 6th floor.

2010-08-05T06:48:00.000-07:00

Did you say rain. It comes down in buckets. They say if you don't like the weather in Ohio wait 10 minutes - it will change. We waited under the canopy for about that long before venturing out.

2010-08-05T06:44:00.000-07:00

The trip to the Visitors' Center at Martin's Cove was long, dry and hot. It gave us a little perspective as we asked ourselves "Why did they come this far North from Salt Lake - why not just go straight across the plains." Well, the answer was very simple - they had to follow the river. We are so glad we had an air conditioned car and a GPS. It is worth its weight in gold. We would literally be lost without it - especially in Cleveland.

2010-08-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

Ed posing as a handcart pioneer at the Mormon Trail Center in Florence, Nebraska.

2010-08-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

The temple at Winter Quarters is next to the pioneer cemetary and the Visitors' Center. This is a very interesting area - narrow streets, limited parking space, tight, tight but very spiritual.

2010-08-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

Crossing the Mississippi River into Illinois. We spent 3 wonderfully hot days in Nauvoo. We also saw the pageant in Kanesville. All the entertainment was very well done. We are so thankful for our great LDS heritage.

2010-08-05T06:36:00.000-07:00

Joseph and Hyrun as they began their last ride to Carthage. The statue faces the temple with a view of the Mississippi River in the background.

2010-08-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

The beautiful Nauvoo Temple. We attended a session and loved the antiqueness of the atmosphere. We met Leo and Pam Liddle from Bellingham who are serving as temple missionaries. What a wonderful place to serve.

2010-08-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

What a surprise to see Elder and Sister Parent at the MTC ready to serve another mission in Guatemala. We loved serving with them at Temple Square.

2010-07-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

Roger snapped a mission picture before we were set apart by President Hammond. We enjoyed ice cream at DK's to celebrate.

2010-07-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

We were hoping for ripe tomatoes before we left for our mission in Ohio. They were delicious.

2010-07-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

Bart and Dodi visited and we enjoyed dinner at Don's and had fun talking about old times.

2010-07-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Jared Parker and Ernie Pratt and their families visited on July 4. Here Roger and Jared are "chewing" the prime rib bones. The meal was great and the company superb.

2010-06-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time at Aleisha's graduation from Spokane Community College. We are proud of her.
We also went to Jaleyna's graduation from Central Valley High. I took a great picture of her receiving her diploma. However, when I got home my memory stick was still in my computer. So sad.
Congratulations to both of these precious granddaughters.

2010-06-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Here's an update on our garden. We have had lots of rain but the sun and warm weather seems to be holding. Everything is growing, growing. We have already had several batches of beet greens and chard. It is so good!

2010-06-11T15:03:00.001-07:00

We love to attend the special events such as April's ballet recitle.

2010-06-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

We had lots of fun helping Roger and Leanne plant their garden. Pictured with Samantha.

2010-05-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

Wow! Ed got a triple word, triple seven letter word - 140 points. Unletter is a term for "not rented". Good going, Ed.

2010-05-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

Christian and Troy sewed and mounted their scout flag. They are the Lightning Patrol. The gromets on the sides are for the lightning bolts with each Scouts name. The holes along the top are for award ribbons and flags. They did a great job and love to work on Scout projects and merit badges together.

2010-05-19T07:39:00.003-07:00

Our house was so in need of a paint job so I chipped paint off one side for days and days with a little knife. Elder Millet primed one strip to see if the old cedar siding would actually take a paint job nicely. We finally decided it was time to reside the house.

The workers showed up late on a Friday, tore off part of the old siding and left their huge truck in front of the house for the weekend. I guess this is part of their advertising.

Three guys are working: One tears off and nails up the form insullation. Another works on the continuous metal siding and another bends the metal that forms around the windows and doors. They are doing a great job. The color is New York Champange with brown trim.

2010-05-19T07:38:00.004-07:00

The front of the house is all done. We put the new house numbers out in the open so visitors can see. Please visit. Come see us.

2010-05-19T07:38:00.003-07:00

Our walk-under has never looked so nice.

2010-05-19T07:38:00.001-07:00

The back and side.

2010-05-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

What a diffrence the new siding has made. We love our home. We still want you to come and visit.

2010-05-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

After we planted the weather turned cold and rainy. Well the last couple days have been bright and warm and the garden has burst forth. We are excited to watch the vegetables grow.

2010-05-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

We are so fortunate to have a rhododendron (and to know how to look it up in a dictionary so I can spell it). Ephrata is colder in the winter than in Lynden where we had many, many. This one is sheltered in the nook off the kitchen window. It is a wild one with smaller flowers that are pale lavender.

2010-05-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

Troy gave away all my quilt fabric and Elder Millet and I had lots of fun getting rid of all the stuff we haven't thought about for the past two years. We had a yard sale at the Ephrata Senior Center Thrift Store instead of in our own yard. That way we got rid of everything and did not have to hassle with customers. We put in a new furnace to keep the family room warm and comfortable.

2010-05-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

Our family room is finally a family room. It's amazing how much space we have. The new carpet is lovely.

2010-05-11T13:08:00.000-07:00

Now you see it, now you don't. Scott Elliott cut down the hawthorne tree in our back yard so we would have more room for a garden. He also cut the bottom limbs off our big fir tree. The added sun and light in our backyard is great.

2010-05-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

Elder Millet's new toy. We were at Home Depot and there was this cute little rototiller in the middle of the aisle. The sign said $50. What a bargain. It works great for our little space.

2010-05-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

All planted and waiting for the sun. The week before planting was sunny and wonderful. The two weeks after were cold. Finally, the sprouts are starting to appear. We hope for warm weather soon.

2010-05-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

Since we have been home, from time to time we find water on the kitchen floor. If we were very, very careful when we washed the dishes it was okay but when it happened we did not know. We finally discovered that when the top of the faucet was moved from sink to sink and a little pressure was put on it, it leaked out the back, went along the top of the sink between the stove and sink and eventually onto the floor. So, we called a plumber. He said the old faucet was not worth fixing so we got a new one. Just $200 or so.

2010-05-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

Then, the water heater went out. I came into the kitchen and water was everywhere. We knew the sink no longer leaked so with a little detective work I discovered the leak in the pantry. The worse part was 2 days without a hot shower. The really worse part was the $600 it cost to replace. The plumber said, "Please wait a week or so before you call me again." YES, we had to take all the food and even the shelves out of the pantry.

It really was a wonderful Mother's Day gift. We were so thankful it did not happen months ago when we were still on our mission! There is a bright side to everything that happens.

2010-04-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a game. Ed kept trying to get rid of a V and a U and finally just played LUV. He said, "I'll probably be sorry I played there." I played OVERBITE and got a triple triple word score - 149 points. That was my biggest play of all time. My other 7 letter word FEDEXES was only 74 points. Ed and I continue to enjoy Scrabble.

2010-04-22T11:13:00.001-07:00

Ed and I enjoyed the wild flowers up Monument Hill from Quincy and around Sagebrush Flats Road back to Ephrata. We live in a very unique country. The hills are green in the Spring and very beautiful.

Who says the wind does not blow in Ephrata. Notice the big sky. We have no trees to block the view. Such is life in the desert.