We're Moving!

Not moving from Ferndale, just blogs. Cut and paste into your web browser...this is our new blog site. Come visit us!

http://web.mac.com/miltonfamily/Site/Ferndale,_WA/Ferndale,_WA.html

Hello???

Hello everyone. My deepest apologies for not posting in what seems like a year, but is probably only a few months. We were out of computer for about a month and a half. I directed VBS at our church and then we were out to Chicago for three weeks for my sister's wedding. Which was fabulous!!!

Now that fall is upon us, there's a little more time to sit and post over breakfast. Elka is back in school and the rain has set in! Almost an inch has fallen in the last two days. The average amount for the entire month of October is usually .7 of an inch, and were only three days into the month. Looks like it may turn out to be a wet fall.

We had a rather disappointing summer weather wise. It was merely an extension of spring with about 4 days of really hot weather. Lots of cool cloudy days.

As if life hasn't been busy enough with taking care of these kids and this home, and directing the children's ministries programs at church; apparently I'm not busy enough. So I've taken on a barista job at the local Starbucks in Ferndale. It's a 12-20 hour a week position. I start next Monday, and I'm really not sure how it's all going to work out, seeing as how my job security basically hinges on arranging childcare.

We'll see what happens. I'll be really dissappointed if it doesn't work out for that reason only. But as I've been learning there are some decisions that have to be made for the greater good of the family and not necessarily for me. Of course I'd love the extra money and time out of the home. But if it comes down not having someone to watch the girls. I'm going to have to quit...and I hate quitters.

So anyway, life continues in uncertainty and we'll just have to see where we end up, trusting that everything will work out.

I'll try to post more so keep checking the site. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Just Can It!

Yesterday, after laying out cedar chips over our garden beds, Steve and I took the girls strawberry picking at Boxx Farms here in Ferndale. We picked roughly 14 pounds in a 1/2 hour and cost us $18. After we put the girls down last night Steve and I got jammin'...in the most appropriate way possible.

14 pounds of strawberries
20 pounds of sugar
12 lemons
12 boxes of pectin
____________________________
=518 ounces of strawberry jam
or rather 32-1 pint jars of freezer jam!

I don't think Steve or I had set out to make so much, but we just got carried away. Now I'm exploring the options of a freezer for the garage. We never made jam when I was growing up, but Steve's family did it religiously, so I know he's thrilled to fulfill his dream of carrying on the tradition on with his daughters....even if they were asleep.

Next month blueberries and raspberries and let's not forget the Himalayan blackberries that grow wild everywhere around here. OY! I think I need to buy stock in Ball Canning jars.

Go to our .mac account website to see more photos. I'm not sure if the link will work so probably just cut and paste it into your browser.

http://web.mac.com/miltonfamily/iWeb/Site/Library.html

Oh yeah, Lostview farm...look out 'cause the Milts are on your tail! Let the canning begin! (hard-dee-har-har)

Pump up the Jams

You know, when it rains it pours...how about this...three posts in one day?! Amazing. All this talk about Alice Cooper got me thinking about music, and I thought I'd share some of my faves right now.

The Crane Wife 1 & 2
-The Decemberists

Me and Mr. Jones
-Amy Winehouse

Hang Me Up to Dry
-Cold War Kids

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
-Arcade Fire

Flathead
-The Fratellis

Staring at the Sun
-TV on the Radio

Objects of My Affection
-Peter Bjorn & John

Lisen My Brother

So you may not be able to see this image, but I think if you click on the "?" it will take you to the YouTube site. You should know this is what Elka and Birgit have been watching constantly! We have it on DVD and it occured to Steve and I that the chubby guy on the stairs is Luther Vandross. The name of the ensemble is Listen My Brother...so 1969...so great! There really isn't a cooler way to count to 20. Finally, what's the deal with the chick in yellow's eye? Glass eye? Elka told me she's her favorite.

School's out for summer!

What do Alice Cooper and Elka have in common? Elka's out of school for the summer.

We spent her last day with her class at Hovander Park aka "the big red barn" as Elka likes to call it. Here's she's sitting with her favorite classmate, Jaxon. She's told me on sereral occasions that she's going to marry him.

I'm a little distraught that school's out...what am I going to do with her in the mornings. I need to plan something a little better. The girl needs structure. I'm really thankful that we had those two weeks of snow days this past winter, cause she's spent most of June in school. Summer break is shorter.

So much is happening this summer. I remember when we were first married, I was trying to make plans with some friends who were a little older than us and already had a kid. I didn't understand how their summer could be so jam-packed with activities and trips. Now I do!

We have Family Camp at Cascades in Yelm, July 4-9, Steve's going to Lafayette, LA for a week on the 23rd for work, I'm directing VBS at church August 5-10 and then the girls and I head to Chicago August 14th-September 5th.

I promised in the last post that I'd put some pictures of from Yakima. Here are a few. I love this one of Elka, Steve and his dad Papu looking at photos of Steve and Uncle Mike when they were kids. Elka was really into it. Then the other is of Birgit enjoying the beautiful, windy day in the yard. Yakima always provides such a wonderful backdrop for photos.

No Excuses!

Alright I know I have no excuse for not posting in over a month. But there's been a lot going on. I've been continuing to work for our pal Matt at his shop Northwest Diesel Power as well as directing the Children's Ministries at church.

Over Memorial Day weekend, we hosted the 2007 Sibs Weekend. Ian, Ursula, Otto, Bob (Ursula's fiance) and his brother Bill all came out to the northwest. While here we crossed the boarder up to Canada to visit Vancouver for a day. The visit was too brief, but packed with lots of fun and catch phrases coined by Elka.

Then we had Grandma Baba (my mom) come out for a week before she heads out to South Africa for six weeks. We were so glad to have her stay with us. We did lots of fun things with her. The girls ran her ragged, but we all loved it. This picture is when Mom fell asleep while putting Elka down for a nap. Priceless!

We also repainted the bathroom Trout Gray. I love it! It's so sophisticated and dark. The white accents really contrast well. It only took three different colors and almost three years to find a color I'm happy with.

This past Wednesday I celebrated my 32nd birthday. The day was full of lots of conversations with friends and family from all over the country. It was such a pleasing day, having Mom here allowed me to get all the things done around the house that I normally couldn't with the girls.

Now we head out to Yakima for the weekend. Hopefully I'll have another post with beautiful pictures of the girls in the west valley orchards of Yakima.

Love to all, and my apologies for the long wait.

Many hands make light work!

Aw geeze! It's been over a month and no posts. Sorry. What a lame-O. So we've been busy with just the regularities of life, and the beautiful NW weather. We've spent a lot of time out in the garden and playing in the backyard. One thing I aim to do differently this year is to use sunscreen religiously on myself and the girls. I really hadn't been that big on the application process, but in the last year I've just heard way too many stories first hand of skin cancer.

My Dad was just in town for a week and we accomplished so very much. We planted a new little garden in the SW corner of the yard, we changed out light fixtures, we reinforced curtain rods that were falling out of the wall from too many little ones hanging on them. Dad assembled a double Adirondack chair set with table. He and Elka built a birdhouse. We placed pavers and created a garbage/recycling area and we stabilized the flagstone pathway to the backyard from the driveway. There was still so much that I wanted to do, but again, I only had ONE week with Dad. I'm so grateful for all the help and direction he's given. I love it when he's able to come and stay for a spell.

Here are a few pictures of some of our handy work.









Also, I'll try to post more regularly.

Sister Sister!

I recently sent this picture of Birgit and Luther to my sister, and she returned it with the picture of Elka. They're about the same age and Luther is about three years younger. Amazing how similar they look.

Mama's got a new job!

I just started a little job helping out our dear friend Matt Hardin. He and Stephanie have been our good friends for almost 10 years now, pretty much since we moved to Seattle. Stephanie and I met at SPU, long before we had kids. Now between the four of us we have five kids and each Christmas time we haul them all down to Seattle to see Santa at Nordstrom's.

So Matt owns a diesel mechanic shop which solely works on diesel engine boats. Basically they ARE the competition up here in Bellingham. They're located near the marina and they're growing exponentially, they're in their second facility now. He has three mechanics working for the company and he's got a few part-timers coming in and helping with the books and general office work. This is where I come in.

I'm helping with the invoicing, filing and "general office" stuff. Which last night included cleaning out the microwave and coffee maker. Not because Matt asked me to, but they were gross. I mean, c'mon it's a mechanic's shop, is this stuff supposed to be clean? But the mother and woman in me thinks, "this is sick, what kind of germs are lurking in that microwave?" Who knows if they'll notice these things? But as far as I'm concerned it's clean and I'm happy.

It may be a job that's not what I went back to school for, but I'm not worried about that. It's just so fun to have some alone time, since I'm there by myself at night, and I can listen to some good tunes and sing out loud if I want. All in all, it's a good thing!