Pranksters after our gathering

Well we decided to have a little gathering this weekend, to show off the deck of course, with the pretty new blue chairs I bought at work, they work pretty good out there except when you sit on them and your hair gets stuck to the brick on the house! Yes I think eventually a different set of chairs will be better out there and these will end up in the yard!

oh my reason for this post was to show a few photos of the nearly complete front deck and the surprise we got after our little gathering

We made this to show my bestest friend Donna who lives in CA, since we are in OH we like to share videos with her and this was a video moment LOL

so who are the pranksters behind this latest escapade, who you ask would do such a thing? to try and scare the bejeebers out of us when we open the blinds in the morning?

oh yes, the guilty parties sitting right there on my couch!

the lovely sister and that good lookin neighbor that it took me a year to convince them they were a perfect match together, see aren't they cute! (revenge is sweet remember that you two)

back to the deck

 the "spy girl" was put there as a joke for the neighbor, he calls this the spy house, so I had to buy that, its solar and I told him she would keep an eye on him when I wasn't here to do it!!

it's almost all done, haven't decided what kind of railing I want, hubby wants rope strung between the posts, not sure I am on board with that but time will tell I guess

Firepit & Cookout Time

It's November already!

Where has the time gone, we have been at the new homestead for 3 months now, so many things we have "in the works" like a new sidewalk, building a fire pit area for fires and family gatherings

Even made a wreath for the front door area

Remember I talked about my box turtles usually around end of October they head into hibernation, well, here is Bucky, he isn't ready yet ~  I think Baby, Jack & Jill have already headed "down under" but for Bucky, he knows when I throw earth worms in there on his feeding slate, he may as well stick above ground for a few more treats, Bucky is my handicapped baby, well not a baby, he is over 40 years old!!! He had his front claw-foot area chopped off or eaten off sometime or another, he was a rescue, a lovely gal had him in New Jersey as her pet for  38 YEARS, when she had to be placed into a nursing home, her granddaughter contacted me to see if I could take the pair she had, I gladly accepted, we didn't want to ship them, so she drove to Ohio to bring them to me! I am honored to have these old babies

Bucky eats the worms up as fast as I drop them in there for him, he loves apples, bananas, strawberries, well truth be told, there really isn't much he doesn't like!

Just look at him, "more mama?" my slate is empty  LOL

but he better be heading south soon, I don't want winter sneaking up on him

Still pretty weather for middle of November, the girls went for a 4 wheeler ride and as usual had a blast

Wanted to show a further back shot off the hillside, you can see the end of the house where I created the new walkway, and where it stops for now

you can also see I have some patio area laid out under the sweetgum tree, I also plan for a firepit there made out of field stone when I get it all drug down out of the field!

Just a pretty side yard view, I have an idea to build a raised bed around the sweetgum tree where the field stone are now, to the right are 2 chestnut trees that are 45 years old, they leave a horrid mess and we can't walk barefoot there, I do believe as much as I hate to, that these will be coming down, each time the wind blows we are picking up huge branches that are old, rotted and dead, time to replace them I think with something different but I know as soon as I do I will miss the shade they provide.

There is the temporary fire area, outlined it to see how the size would work for us during our gatherings, of which, we are having one tonight! got out the ole' stumps and hacked off some weinie sticks . . .

always a great time to have friends over to sit around a fire!

and roast some weinies too

yes, I think that area I had laid out will work, perhaps just a "little" bigger when I get the field stones rooted out and drug out of the field . . .

and well I thought it was time for a change, I lopped off over a foot of hair! Then had my 14 year old daughter give me "highlights" and yes I am happy with it!! Good job!! LOL maybe she will become a beautician? Naw, highly doubt that, more like a dare devil.

See you folks next time!!

First neighbor cookout & sons housewarming party

Been at the new house a month, decided its time to officially have the neighbors over for a cookout!

We turned them all onto deep fried turkey, they had never had it before and it was a big hit

we told farmer John he looked like "Shrek"

also our oldest son had a housewarming party and we deep fried a turkey for it as well

 heading out to big brothers new house

Fun back in the woods

Thought I would share a secret hideaway we love to go to when we can, I grew up in these woods, playing all over these rocks, it's so nice that my grandparents property is still in the family and that we all have gatherings here when we can all get together!

isn't it just beautiful back here

there are beautiful rocks and caves on the property ~ I spent alot of time running wild back here as well as mushroom hunting each year, what fond memories!

We are just around the corner from Dundee Falls

it's the perfect spot for family nights at the fire hidden back in between the rocks

and what is even better, the 3rd generation now enjoys these gatherings too

and well, for some you just still can't get off the phone, even out in the woods LOL

This was supposed to be a gathering of the cousins, however one of my cousins cars was here, but he was nowhere to be found, so the kids decided to take their uncles car and hide it HA HA HA and no, none are licensed drivers yet LOL

 well hell, the keys WERE left in it . . .

 and what kid could resist that!

just look at them heathens

so an hour or so later we go to his place to find him

look at them, all still crackin up over what they did

and we find him having a nap!

so we snuck back out, then thought, oh shit, we better go double check on him and make sure he's alive!

he was tee hee and joined us, never having a clue that he walked past where his car should still be parked but yet it was gone, hours, many hours later he realized it was missing, or "he thought he parked it over there"

kids busted a gut

Last family gathering at old house

It's been a wonderful 8 years at the old house, we survived a flood in 2005 in which we were out of the home for 4 months while they lifted the home, tore out the collapsing basement and rebuilt it, all during our oldest sons senior year of school, but we survived that and had some great times remodeling and rebuilding everything, gonna miss you old house!

So here we are, the last family gathering at the old place, we will see you all again from now on at the new house!! Happy 4th of July!!

even the critters tried to get in the last family photo!!