Thanksgiving...

Family time.

Louisiana Laughs

At long last - here it is!  The update and part of what I have been up to...

Raelee turned NINE!!  Of course we had to go to Louisiana to share the fun!  A very long trip pulling a camper - in a truck with no air con.  Yeah, hot and sweaty.  Was it worth it?  You bet!


NINE??  How did she get to be 9 years old?  Kids have a way of growing up on you, don't they?

Her cousin's came to celebrate with her as well - here is Nicole and Amanda, with Raelee in the middle:

Oh and Goofy is hanging out in the front of them.

All the cousin's together, at the 'party':

And the most exciting thing about a party in our family - the traditional scavenger hunt!  The birthday kid gets one clue to the big present for every year they are old - this year, punkin' got 9  clues:

The funny thing about it is the guests have as much fun as the birthday kid hunting for clues.  Thankfully most of the time, the birthday kid is the only one that can guess the answers because it is usually leading them to something special that only they know the  answer to... this clue is:  "Store bought clothes are nice, but mom makes them sew much better" - leading her to the sewing machine:

And finally, the clue that led her to the big prize:  "Trees are made into fine gifts here", leading her to her daddy's shop - and the big gift:

She LOVES her new bike!

Punkin' asked for a crawfish boil and strawberry pie for her birthday:

"Hey, miss, can you toss us a crawfish?"

 

Believe me, they got PLENTY!

And with a crawfish boil, you gotta eat the strawberry pie:

Then sleep:

The most special gift of all, was a friend visiting - 34+ years of history between us and such a special unbroken bond.  We had not seen each other in years, and she found out I was coming to Louisiana so she messaged us and said she wanted to come see us!  OH MY GOSH!  What a special treat - Theresa, I love you and thanks for making the trip to MC to be with us - what a treasured visit!

Two words made them smile like this - "Pink Elephant".

Years ago, Steve was known as a 'scholarly' type of guy and very serious.  I told Theresa he wasn't nearly as scary as she thought he was and we needed to figure out how to break the ice.  She came in one day and said, "Red, how do you get a pink elephant off the wall?"  Steve thought a minute and said, "I don't know, Red (she was a red head too), how do you get a pink elephant off the wall?"  Theresa answered, "Well, you jerk him off - of course!"

And that is all I have to to say about that.  The smiles say the rest!

Lots of laughs in Louisiana!

Thanksgiving Week Was a Riot!

This week has been a huge ball of fun!  We have had tons of people in and out - on Thanksgiving, we had a houseful - and the best part was that my sister from Mobile came up and my aunt Connie and Uncle Danny came up from Alabama as well!  Oh my gosh, was the visit great!  We had a ball of laughs, fireside (did I really say that?) chats and ooodles of fun outside on the 4 wheelers.  So here is the Thanksgiving day gang:

We got a super picture of Shari and John with the kids - it was such a beautiful day, maybe a bit bright but we still love the pics:

Those rug rats sure have grown up!  We had a blast with them here.  Thanks Shari for making the trip!

Steve bought another 4-wheeler after everyone got here - it sure did come in handy.  We all rode the toys the entire time we had people coming and going.  His is the "red" one (are you surprised?):

This is some of the mud and muck they got into:

They went through that ditch so many times that Steve had to take some cement blocks out there to fill in the ruts... but his little tractor couldn't handle it.  Look what happened:

That picture is courteousy of my daughter Stephenie.  I was no where around until it actually got out of the creek... lol...

We had to get our neighbor, doc, to come pull him out with a BIG tractor - it actually made Steve's look like a Match Box tractor, doesn't it?

Thank God for wonderful neighbors with big toys and lots of patience - or was it for the giggles?


He got it out, but it sure is a mess:

He said the rain will wash it off, but I don't believe him.  Here are a few pics of others riding.

This is Deyne, a friend from Singapore:

Steph, Raelee, John, Nicole and Amanda:
 

Carey braved it up and let Raelee take her out - she never even showed her fear:
 

Well, maybe she showed a little...  Thankfully she made it back, but she had Adam take her around the next time:
 

The dogs spent a lot of time pouting because they couldn't join the fun:

Punkin' made pie for us!  She is actually quite good at making pumpkin pies too!

Doesn't it look yummy?

It was delicious!

Well I have to get off and go do my favorite thing - shop... I will be back tomorrow with a bit more news.  Have a great week!

Soaking It All In...

Wow!  I have been super busy with family coming in - sorry I took a break - but it was with good cause.  Our sister is moving from Seattle to Mobile and came to stay with us for a week while in transit.  We hung out at our house and relaxed mostly.  I don't think a crowbar would have encouraged the kids to leave 'the farm'.  

Our neighbors were kind enough to loan us their 7 horses and the kids loved visiting with them.  I think they got enough alfalfa to satisfy their cravings this last week!

When the kids weren't out there (like when they were eating and sleeping), the horses innocently hung out at the fence waiting for their return:

We did get out one day and head over to Okmulgee Lake for a picnic.  While we were sitting there, I was gazing off at the scenery:

 

Fall is in the air!  You can see the trees starting to change colors and we had a nice freeze last night.  I love the weather here, even if it is hot during the day, it is cool and comfy at night.  We never had that in Louisiana - and since I am not a hot weather person, maybe that is why I missed Oklahoma so much... ?

While we were at the lake, we went to the rock house and gathered the kids for a picture.  I think all of us (my siblings and I) have taken a picture in this very same place when we were wee little ones - much younger than these kids even! 

The girls tried like heck to kiss their brother for me - but it wasn't happening:

They even tried pinning him down - but it still didn't happen!

All of my brother and sisters were there - and one nephew and 2 nieces.  It was a great afternoon.  Love being in a place we all grew up in, enjoying it, soaking in the laughter, getting to know our new sister-in-law, and just relaxing.  Love days like that.

I have been busy trying to get the living room finished - we got the new furniture, and I am not an interior decorator, but I am trying to get it all worked out.  It is finally coming together.  I also went through my scrap room and got rid of a bunch of loot.  I still have tons to do in there, but I am finally getting it all worked out.  I had no idea moving was this much of a pain in the last!!

Today I got get my Chelsea dog.  She was spayed yesterday.  I sure have missed her.  I think Steve even missed her.  Will be glad to have her back.  We sure do love her!

And that kinda catches you up with our life for the last week and a half.  Even with all the work, I am just glad to have a landing zone that I love so much.  Living in the country is where my heart has always been.

Oh, I forgot to mention a dear friend gave us some iris (my favorite flower) and redbud trees.  We got them all planted and can't wait to see how they do!  I love that we have nearly  acres - the idea of being able to poke flowers in every nook and cranny is wonderful.  I am gonna have a good time!

And I will gladly share when it all starts multiplying... 

Oh!  And Steve had plenty of help planting:
 

Classy thought he needed a couple of nudges.  She was actually just trying to get more alfalfa.  I think she figured if she dumped him in the hole, he would anty up!  Steve and Classy have a thing going - she LOVES him!  Every time we go out in the pasture, Classy races up to him - I think she has a crush on him  ;-)

Awww, the busy-ness of it all... 

And so it goes...

Another Family Day :-)

This weekend was great!  My sister is moving from Seattle to the Mobile area, and on the way down, her and the kids came to see us!  All of my family were in one place for the day - they all came to our place!  It is great having us all together again!

Don't ya think Shari and Danny both look great?  (They are twins if you don't know that already!):

Nate and BlueBee had a great time playing catch.  I think BlueBee would love it if everyone would just toss stuff to her all day long - and probably all night long too!

Here is a picture of Amanda just hanging out with us... actually I think she was hanging out with the critters.  She LOVES animals - here she is in heaven.  She has 7 horses, 7 cats, 4 dogs... and I am sure I can round up some more if she needs 'em!  Lol...

Nicole took time fishing. She sat on the dock and waited... and waited.  Unfortunately, no fish found her hook, but she was super patient!  She seemed to enjoy her quiet time:

Arianne was happy to sit by and watch the chaos.  She is such a lively girl - we love her!  I think Danny has found his true love - they seem so happy together and he looks great.  I think she does too!

Danny spent a lot of time with the kids teaching them how to try to catch a fish.  Didn't work, but his company was appreciated - the kids loved hanging around him... I wonder why?  Danny is a big kid himself is why!

He was super patient with the kids - even tried catching perch with corn, but I think the fish left for the day  :-(

 

 Biggee was the watch dog - she made sure no one acted up and guarded her mommy - I think she even gave me the evil eye!

Of course Steve took the kids out on the 4-wheeler.  They had a blast!  Bet they go again.  I think we need to buy another 4-wheeler...

BlueBee went swimming in the pond.  We did find out something when she did - the pond drops off considerably 3 feet out - she stepped off into... nothing!  She sure did start swimming fast!

Buddy is just not sure about all this... so he sits back and takes it all in:

And the cats?  Well, with all the dogs here, they found themselves a hiding place.  Gotta love catnaps!

I am amazed at how people-friendly our house is!  We can have a houseful of people and not step on each other's feet at all. We love having friends and family over even more now!  At our previous place it worked, but it definitely wasn't made for it.  This one is made for families and friends to gather.

Today is a quiet day; laundry, ironing and tidying up.  Shari seems to be enjoying letting the kids entertain themselves outside and I am just enjoying being with my sister.  Tomorrow, maybe we can play some!