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Spring has brought a lot of cold, rainy weather, but the fields are a gorgeous green, so I guess that it is worth it.  Here's a photo of Caleb (Jackie's son) roto-tilling our garden.  It needed a second go-round, but the tiller stopped working, and we were thankful for our neighbor who offered to till it for us.

Here's our new downstairs bathroom.  I am so pleased...Bryce, you'd love it.

Sorry for the blurry image, but you get the idea.  Lindsay graciously agreed to shop with me and give me her take on a vanity for the bathroom.  Kai and Ellyn don't mind shopping at Home Depot where they can steer the carts.  I love the hickory vanity that Lindsay helped me choose.

We love our goldfinches and house finches.  We put a bird bath on the corner of the deck, and it's working well.

Can you recognize McCall?  She and her date are headed for the Prom.  She said they had a good time.

And here's Summer...costumed for her part in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."  She did a great job.

We had a nice get-together with the Stolls two weeks ago.  As always the food was yummy. I used a recipe that Renee had shared with Jackie for Sloppy Joes that turned out great.

Our lilac bush is in full bloom.

Uncle Scott was invited to present the story of his life at a Fireside at the assisted living center where he lives. He spoke for an hour and forty minutes, and did a very good job...both with the material he selected and with his presentation.  Guenther and I have finished reading Larry Miller's biography, "Driven."  And Scott and Larry are kindred spirits..only Scott didn't have the fantastic success that Larry had.  But they both regret not giving greater priority to their families.  Scott used the phrase  "No success can compensate for failure in the home" to write a song which we all sang at the close of the fireside.

I love my new kitchen

"Before" photos.

"My Gutted Kitchen"

                                                                  

                                                                  The Finished Product
Here are some before, between, and after photos of my remodeled kitchen. I love the granite, the new grouting, the new appliances, and all the cabinet work. Between Jackie's husband, Brad, and son, Caleb, and Atwood Cabinets who work with Brad, the kitchen turned out just as I had hoped.
 We haven't moved in yet. It's actually easier to live downstairs while we're using the apartment bathroom...plus, I'm still airing out my new cupboards. The new paint..lacquer?..whatever..smell drives me crazy. Guenther and I had a severe case of food poisoning this past week. (I believe from a talapia sandwich spread that I had made...we both ate it and both got deathly ill..at least nearly sick enough to wish for death.) So that may be part of my aversion to the present smell. Anyway, I have all the doors and drawers open right now.

Stoll Family Party in March

We had our Stoll Family Get-together at Jackie's last Sunday evening, and, as always, it was so nice.  Jackie chose pasta as the main attraction, and the food was so wonderful.  Miekyong (I always get mixed up on the spelling) brought spaghetti with clams in the shell...yummy.  So many good things to eat.

Amber's baby boy is due the end of April.  Ella's birthday is on Easter this year, and Amber says that Ella is excited to get her ears pierced as a birthday present.  Isn't this a cute shot of cousins playing?

This is Grandpa talking to the troops.  In the shot below, the guys are all watching a basketball game.  

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Jen's wedding reception

Jen and Jeff Ebert married on February 20th.  Dave and Tami and Jeff's parents flew to Fiji for the wedding in the Fiji Temple.


They had their reception at the Highland Reception Center when they returned from their honeymoon.  It was really lovely.  Both sets of parents said that they had enjoyed the flight to Fiji.


This shot was taken just before the reception started.  It was rainy and cold, but the reception center was warm and cozy.

I love this shot of Tami.  Sorry, Jordan, you must have been singing to your mom.

Jen pins a corsage on her dad.

A shot of Jeff's family.

The Four Crabtree Siblings

Jordan fiddles with the video and gets it working right

Note the carved sculpture next to Jen's wedding photo.  They brought it home from Fiji.

Katherine presides at the guest table where the guests signed matted photos of the bride and groom.

a remodeled kitchen in progress

Well, I decided to upgrade my kitchen.  This is the granite slab which Nancy helped me choose for my new countertop.  The little wooden piece at the bottom of the photo is the sample of my cabinet finish..white-washed maple.  I hope that they will look good together.  I found photos of kitchens with light cabinets and light countertops in some interior design books from the library, so I think that I'll be okay.  I love the light look.

Here are a couple of "before" photos.

And here is an "at present" photo.  Jackie's husband, Brad, did a super job of removing all the old stuff.  He didn't mar my wallpaper, and he even rewired the security system for me.

A Shower for Jennifer

Jennifer's future mother-in-law hosted a shower for Jen on Saturday.  Both of Jeff's grandmas were there, and I learned that Jeff is the great-grandson of J.Spencer Cornwall who conducted the Tabernacle Choir.  Maybe I'll have a musical great-grandchild.  Jen and Jeff and their parents will be flying to Fiji for the wedding later this month.

Our newest four-year-old

Here she is. This was taken on Ellyn Mae's fourth birthday..  I actually thought that she was turning five...she seems so much older sometimes.  She's having a party on Friday, so this was just a birthday dinner.

Kai picked out a new pair of boots..(he says they're "boy boots")  at Kid-to-Kid, and was he ever proud of them.

They get ready to go home after a spaghetti dinner for the grown-ups. (Ellyn had already been promised chicken nuggets for her birthday dinner so Lindsay let the kids bring their own chicken nuggets).  Matt networked Guenther's computer so that we can work on the new family search at the same time.