Inside our Little House in the Middle of the Woods....

It's been three weeks. All is well. Christmas was certainly different than ever before. We missed being with family and friends but did just fine. If one of us would get a little moody or down, we'd just encourage each other to think of the good times we've had in the past.

Our little house in the middle of the woods is warm and comfy. I am trying to send pictures so you can get the idea of what it is like. It is a 30 foot single wide mobile home.  It must be insulated pretty good because we have not been cold. We just have a plug in radiator / heater in both the bedroom and living/kitchen area. So far the coldest has only been 24 degrees, but tomorrow is supposed to get down to 7.  

Our Dining Room

Sofa and Coat Closet

As you can see from pics there are places for our things, but mostly open shelfs and hooks on the walls. In case you hadn't heard they did get me a "real" stove with an oven. There is no place to store the pots and pans so they are always on the stove looking like dinner is well on it's way. When we have the young Elder to dinner we have to pull the table out. We do have 3 folding chairs and could borrow a 4th if needed.

Besides the three other couples we have just one "young" Elder. They like to have two to four but no one else in the works right now. The call is a "service" mission for someone that may not be able to serve a regular mission for various reasons. Right now we have Elder Reed. It was our job to have him for dinner every day last week.  Boy, does he eat a lot! Anyway, we got to know him better and we played Runs and Bunches each night after dinner. He loved it (and the food). I think he would like us to adopt him.

The Kitchen

Our Pantry

This week Dad became a Lumber Jack. Still no snow so the crew went into the forest, looked for trees that were the exact size (thin but at least 30 ft tall) and then chop them down, cut off all limbs, haul to the shop to remove all bark down to raw wood and then sand smooth. They needed 30 of them. These are for the giant tepees that will be put up in the spring.

I am well into cooking mode. Past two weeks I have made one meal a day but starting Jan 2 - I will be doing 2. Any fun new menu ideas? I am going through the Bodell Bistro Cookbook at a rapid pace. Send recipes with your ideas please. Actually, I need someone to send the Corney Corn recipe - please.

Dad had the spiritual thought yesterday and talked about David Bednar's talk about "Tender Mercies."  He did a great job, the spirit was strong and he even had some of us in tears. Partly the holiday and partly the time of year, but we have thought about our David a lot, and have felt his presence with us. We have also felt your love and support through your prayers - just as we have prayed for you.
Love - Mom