Cookin' Good!

Cooking is now done on our new gas top ! We had a glass top, which months ago something fell on it and made a chip.....which turned into a crack, and cracked a few more directions. It was past time to do something about it.
This is our old model glass top. And the drawers that are below the stove top.
It took some time for Aaron to do the wiring/piping for the new stove top. But it is nice to be able to work with 4 elements again!

Plow & Pile!

Snow storm weekend (see below post) This is Monday morning....a snow plow did come out and clear some of the road better....but by 11:00 Aaron gave up on them and took it in his hands to clear some of the real mess. Soon after he started a road grader came. They talked for a while then worked together clearing and cleaning the road up. Aaron spent 3 hours out there- the other man 2.....now that is some kind of mess! Instead of just piling it up higher by the side of the road, it was moved into a couple of snow piles/hills. School was canceled again....Making it a 5 day weekend ! ( They sent the kids home Thurs. morning due to snow problems & canceled school Fri. & Mon.)Here is Taft standing on the road beside the snow drifted new plowed road. We worried that if the wind picked up- it would all be back in a hurry.
Tilmann climbing the huge pile that was made!Taft on top too! It will be sad to see this all melted! Actually it will be a large mud hole!




A week ago Sunday, during the snow storm weekend, Aaron and I awoke before 5 in the morning. The wind had blown all night, and drifted the road in front of our house...very well. The noise of a couple of stuck cars spinning wheels woke us.. Aaron got dressed and headed out in the tractor to help. I woke up Taft, who is such a weather watcher, he dashed up the stairs to look out our bedroom window. And out the door he was to help dad. I woke up Tavin and the two of us watched the action from the window. Not too hard to spot the tractor. When it was light out, I took a couple more photos. Aaron worked on packing the snow down with the tractor, but that ended up making a bumpy -roller coaster ride....and only one lane too.Can you find our mailbox? It wasn't long after this that the snow started up....they even canceled church ! We called the sheriff to report our road problem, but they never did send out any snow plows. So the boys and I would sit looking out the window watching (or out in the yard) ....not much traffic....but what did go through was entertaining! Some would go fast, and they certainly had a rolly-polly ride! Lots would hit their back bumpers. Others slower, almost getting stuck....we even had a pick-up truck that had hay bales in the back drop one because of the bumpy road!This fence is a 6+ footer....Drey is standing on a snow drift. Here is Tavin and Drey flying through the air into the snow drift!
The road in the afternoon.....still has plenty of problems.We have a hill that the boys practiced their snowboarding skills on Taft in Red, then Tilmann in green.





Snow Storm

It is difficult to tell by this photo but we are in a huge snow & wind storm. It looks foggy, but it really it snowflakes. (photo taken from bedroom window) This is Thursday morning- it blew all night, but after the kids went to school did the snow and drifts start arriving. They canceled school at 9:30. The snow, wind and snowplows kept up for quite some time. The second photo is today, the day after the storm, to give you a before and after effect. That big pile across the road has a mailbox in it....which didn't get any mail. The following photos Tearsa took this morning, showing the mounds of snow.

Drey's fun

Poor cat.Call PETA.

For our anniversary, (19 years) Aaron and I ran away to Utah. Our first stop was at the BYU museum to look at the showing of Minerva Teichert's paintings. I would have love to taken some photos of her work, mostly because their size was so impressive- most were at least 8 feet tall and very wide, kind of like this sign outside- & larger. Her work and colors are beautiful. She painted the world room in the Manti Temple.
The rest of the trip, (we left on Wednesday coming home on Saturday) was spent in the Manti Temple. It was just breath -taking beautiful. (finished in 1888) This is where we were married. The first night we attended a session, the power went out....we used dim lights from a generator. The second day it snowed....a total of 8 inches by the time we came out. It was wonderful to be in such a peaceful place.


Catching Up

On December 18th the Hollister school had their annual school play. Tavin was an elf, (top back) and Til was a bedtime kid. The play was short but very well done, working with the poem, The Night Before Christmas.

Well, Tilmann's birthday was one month and one day ago. Happy 8th birthday Tilmann. Tilmann is 67 lbs. and 51.5 inches tall.

For his birthday party, he was going to watch the Bee Movie in the theater, but someone messed up and the theater was closed*. Since all of Tilmann's friends were already at the theater, they went bowling instead. Tilmann had a lot of fun, and he even won the bowling round!! Then he and his friends went to Daisy's for volcano drinks. Tilmann's favorite part of the day was watching his friends' expressions when the dry ice was put in the pop.

On January 12th, Tilmann was baptized by his father. Uncle Bubba and Grandma Elsie spoke.

* Janice wrote a complaint letter to the theater, and it turns out that there was a problem with the newspaper ad. The advertising manager felt bad so he sent us 10 free tickets!