Halloween Final Thoughts

 Happy Halloween everyone! I'm sitting  at my kitchen table looking around at all the Halloween decor and knowing that I'll be putting them all back in their storage boxes tomorrow.  It feels like I'm saying good-bye to good friends that I won't see for another year.  Sounds silly I'm sure to most folks but I always joke that Halloween is  my spirit animal! Yes, I do enjoy this fun holiday.  A time to eat fun foods, dress up in costumes and be silly or scary.  Time to enjoy the kiddos as they dress up and enjoy this time of year with candy, parties, and traditions that will be started in their own families one day...hopefully!   I've said it a million times but we truly have been blessed with a beautiful Fall and October. The leaves changed early and stayed beautiful until this past week when rain and cold did their work.  So I'll say good-bye to October, get ready for November and the rest of the big holidays.  Here's a few last pics until next year. 

This is how the days looked this past weekend. Crystal clear blue skies and just the right amount of frost on the pumpkin.  Good time to have a fire in the pit and roast a few hotdogs.

Jack made a lovely fire.  Smelled like Fall!

Perfect for roasting those dogs! 

Ooopss.....I had to do a redo! 

Thankfully a cup of hot cider made a good way to wash it all down!  Sunday came with some clouds and a walk in the Creepy Woods with Annabelle.  She's doing better but still had a few times of losing her dinner.  She's been good the last 2 days.  She's a trouper! 

We took off for a nice walk and she made sure not to lose me.

A few greenery remains and it makes the red pop.

The yellow pops also. You can see many of the trees are bare and waiting for Winter to arrive.

This leaning tree had me reconsidering the walk under it. We turned back for home and a cozy rest of the weekend.

Today dawned rainy but warm and on the way home I snapped a pic of these beautiful trees that line the drive to the endoscopy unit.  I got out early today and spent the time with Annabelle and a nap and a walk.  I'm off tomorrow and will take the time to get the house back in order. Until next year:

Booooooo!!!!!

A Few Tricks And Treats

 The fall weather has been really pretty good this year. A little bit of a mixed bag of treats with lovely, warm and sunny days and then some tricks of the wet, cold and even some snow flakes in the air.  This weekend was the treat though.  It probably is the last nice one for leaf peeping and of course I must share a few of those pics.

The end of our road is a blaze of yellows and orange.

My neighbors trees are picture perfect.  But the best place to really see some pretty color is always our city cemetery.  It's where I like to take walks with Annabelle all year but Fall is the best.  I like to say that the trees turn so pretty because of all the "dead" vibes..

But not everything in the cemetery is dead and buried...

I spied this cutie watching us...meow!  We'll leave the cemetery for some fun we had last night going to Ashland Historical Societies annual "Pumpkin Glow" event.  The historical society is restoring an old home that was given to the city and made into the children's home and then it was a detention center for wayward youth.  Now it's being revamped for events and I was excited to take my first peak inside. That's because I wasn't a wayward youth I guess!

The outside had a few fun spots.  I liked the witches hats hanging from the porch.

There were many sponsors that had carved pumpkins all around the house and folks would hand out candy and things when you drove around.  In the back of the house there were food trucks and parking so you could get out and enjoy everything up close and personal. The weather was perfect for walking around the grounds.  

The inside rooms were pretty sweet too.  I was excited to know you can rent the space out for events of your own.  Made me think that next Halloween's family gathering could be here!

Maybe we can get this dude to play for us!  A funny thing happened when I took this shot.  Jack and I were standing there, pretty far from the piano.  It was just us and another lady who was across the room.  As soon and I clicked the pic he slowly fell backwards!  (the skeleton, not Jack)  The lady looked at me with wide eyes like I did something...but no way did we make it fall over. Could it be paranormal?  Well, it's my Halloween story and I'm sticking with it!  To end my post I'll tell you about Annabelle's not so fun week.  We  had her to the Vet twice with a bad gut that had her vomiting, not eating, howling in pain, and just plain feeling rotten.  $500 plus later I think she may be feeling better.  I've been up with her at night most of the week and hopefully she'll get through tonight without any problems.  Dogs are as bad as babies because they can't tell you what's going on.  Anyway, she did have a moment of wonder at some very big "DOGS" that came through the Pines.

These two stood and stared at each other for about 10 minutes trying to figure out if they were friend or foe.  Needless to say the baby deer just meandered to Momma deer and Annabelle came back to the house still not sure what that was!

Enjoy this final full week of October everyone and don't hesitate to be a bit silly!  It's almost Halloween so watch out for the tricks and enjoy some treats!

Party On Part 2

Usually when the family comes to our Fall gathering they head home on Sunday.  This year we were happy that my niece Amy and my nephew Bill and families were able to stay until Monday.  My niece Katie had to head back on Sunday though and we bid her and the kids a fond farewell with a promise to see them at our Christmas gathering at her house.   We had decided to go to Mohican State Park and the weather was gorgeous for a day in the woods!  First however we made a stop at Mohican State Park Campground to see my good friend and coworker Kim who was camping there with her family.  Kim's dog Clover is Hope's mommy and we brought Hope down also to visit with them.  Kim loves to see how the puppies they give good homes too are doing.  It was fun to see how the campground prepares for the annual Halloween weekend that happened this weekend.  Kim's family had put together a simply amazing display of a castle with dragons and everything!

This was the day look but to see it finished at night was spectacular! I didn't get back at night to get any pics but there was a fog machine going with lots of eerie lighting and even a walking dragon. They won first place this year!  After visiting the campground we drove over to see the rest of the park.  First was a stop at the fire tower and a quick picnic lunch.

My niece's hubby is a firefighter so he really wanted to see this and took a couple of their kiddos up to the top.  I did this climb years ago and not being a fan of heights I figured once in a lifetime is good enough for me!  After lunch we headed over to the covered bridge where the gang could go on a 1.5 mile hike back to the lion falls. 

The bridge is always a fun photo time.

As you can see the weather was perfect and those that wanted to hike took off while Jack, Midge, and I stayed behind with Annabelle.  Midge's dog Hope went on the hike with the kids.  It's kind of a rocky and twisty little trail and we decided to just chill by the river.

Jack found a good spot to sneak in a little snooze time!  When the gang returned, the next stop was to another castle.  This time a real one called "Landall Castle".  It's a hotel and restaurant that was featured a few years ago on TV with Gordon Ramsey.  It's a beautiful spot for a wedding or a weekend away.

This is the front of the hotel.  The grounds were lovely to stroll around and enjoy on that beautiful afternoon.

Even some surprises around the corner! 

This made a great spot for a photo op with the families.

I think everyone enjoyed the day outdoors and were ready to head back to the Pines for dinner. I had a big pan of lasagna waiting and after dinner games were played around the table while kids played outdoors or watched movies.  It was a great time filled with the 3 "F's"...Family, Fun, and Food!  On Monday the cars were packed to the gills with treasures and families.  They all made it back to Chicago safely with tons of memories and hopefully a really good time.  As I walked around the Pines on Monday morning just to check the outside for anything left behind in the yard, I noticed that our witches had flown the coop....another gathering in the books!

I would say it was a bit magical! I'm so thankful for all who came and for God granting us beautiful weather!  

Let The Fall Gathering Begin!

 I've been a busy gal these past weeks gearing up for my sister, Midge, and her kids and Grandkiddos coming to celebrate this season.  We housed Midge, my niece Amy and her hubby Eric and their 3 kids. My nephew, Bill, and his wife Laura and 3 of their 5 kids came but stayed at a nearby hotel. My niece, Katie and her two kids, Brooke and Mason also made the journey from Chicago and stayed at the same hotel as her brother Bill. Katie's hubby, Blake, stayed home to take care of the dog and work.  Don't worry about remembering all those names...no test at the end!  Jordan got home and was able to see  family that he hadn't seen in 2 years.  So it was a few days of planning activities and of course food to feed everyone.  On Saturday we had the annual Halloween bash at the Pines and it turned out fun without going overboard with haunted woods and such.  Just didn't have the time and also energy to do it all plus work. I've struggled keeping up with blogs and such and will visit my blog buddies this week to catch up on all the doings of this special month that I love.  Of course there are photos to document the fun time we had!

Friday had the gang checking out the new stores in our cute downtown and spending money that I know the merchants were pleased to see.  That's Midge checking out some goodies. Her big bag already held some cute clothes she found at the Blue Pumpkin clothing store.  My nieces made a dent their inventory as well! 

A few "Angels"?  Sometimes they were and a few times they weren't but all in all it was fun.  First pic is Great nieces, Ella and Lexi...pic 2 is Great nieces Ava and Brooke...3rd pic is Great nephew Mason.

Lexi, Brooke, Mason and Addy having some party food.  Yes, those names sound familiar as I also  have a Lexi and Addy (Rae Rae)!  

Midge brought her dog, Hope. It was Hope's first trip and visit to our house.  She and Annabelle got along fine and she did great.  Hope wasn't too happy to have to leashed but she's not used to 6 acres of land to roam.  She got out once and ran like crazy....right to the street! Yikes! We coaxed her back and all was well but it sure had us panicking! 

My niece, Katie on the left and her sister, Amy on the right...the gals in the middle? Just some witches to add a little magic to the occasion!

My Great niece, Brooke (Katie's daughter) on the left.  My Great niece, Ava (my nephew, Bill's daughter) on the right. Hard to tell them apart sometimes!

Speaking of witches...Ha! That's Evelyn's daughter Sam in front and my Granddaughter, Driana just being silly with my floating witch hats.  Everyone has those, right??  Of course we had tons of food for the party and we also had a birthday to celebrate.  Addy Rae turned 14 last week so I  made her a special cake.

Looks delish!  She loved it!  The best part was when it was cut open candy came falling out! It's a fun cake to make and surprise everyone.  They wanted to know how you get wrapped candy inside. Magic of course!

Happy birthday Rae Rae! We sure love you!  We were really lucky this past weekend with fabulous weather that held out the whole time.  We had outside fun with a fire in the pit and some games with prizes and lots of laughs.

We made a few "mummys" with some Mommies joining in with their kiddos. This is Laura, my nephew's wife and my Great niece Addy.  They won the fastest wrapping.

This team won the neatest wrapping...and the slowest! Ha! Good job Brooke!  When night fell we sat around the wonderful fire and talked and laughed and just enjoyed the time together.

The kids ran and played while the adults had  sat and chat time! 

There was a full moon to light the night and the warmth of the fire to enjoy.  The temps were dropping though and we had to finally head indoors.  I think it was a successful gathering this year.  Believe it or not I have a second post to come with the happenings of the next day....Fall fun to be continued.....

Hello My Pretties!

 October dawned gray and a bit chilly yesterday but I'll take it! My favorite month is here and already time is flying by.  This past week we got some new carpet in a couple of the bedrooms. It's been 21 years since we moved in and carpeted those rooms so it was time.

The carpet was previously navy blue so this color has brightened up the place a bit!  We've been slowly trying to get rid of "things" and I think Good Will and the Thrift store will know me very well as time goes on.  Yesterday there was a drop off for TV's and other devices that the trash won't take so it was good to get rid of a couple of TV's we didn't need and couldn't even give away.  I also took 4 boxes of Christmas decor to Good Will.  I had gone through my Christmas things, gave some to family and just had to downsize the rest. It does feel good to let go sometimes! I'm thinking my Halloween has to be next. I have given a lot of that away too but I can't resist buying more! (I did take the 7ft. skeleton back remember...that  has to account for something!)  

I was at the dollar store on Friday and I spied this in the parking lot...I thought it was an Amish hearse! I think it was really just a trailer they were hauling.  I hope it wasn't too heavy for that poor horse! 

A friend of mine gave me some fresh bittersweet.  I've never decorated with that before.  Any suggestions on how to use it? Right now it's draped on my front porch railing:

You probably need to zoom  in to see it!  My son, Jordan, arrived home from California last night.  He's been living there for 2 years after transferring  with his company.  He got the opportunity to transfer back here so he took it. I think he had enough of the 114de heat and fires out there! We're happy to have him back and hopefully he'll enjoy his time back.  When he came in the house he said: "You've already decorated for Halloween?  Or have you just started!"  Smart aleck!  I decorated early because we have my sister and her family coming in this week to join us for our annual Halloween/October blast! Here's a few of the decorations:

These witches shoes usually go by the kitchen fireplace but Annabelle thinks they are toys so I moved them up a bit!  Yes, I'm a bit "batty" here!

Speaking of the fireplace...Driana, my Granddaughter, sent the glowing tree! She knows how her YaYa decorates!

This gal has found a spot in the kitchen also...come on by and sit for a "spell"!  Finally I will stop boring you but I 'll have to show this last pic I took on a walk the other day.

I'm going to label it "Hanging on by a thread". These trees line the creek bank across our road and look like it won't take long to tumble in.  I think there are many down south in Florida...including my brother Phil and my Nephew Patrick...who feel like they are hanging on after Hurricane Ian came through as they live in Fort Myers and Cape Coral.  Hugs and prayers for them and all who are cleaning up after that horrible storm.  Have a good week everyone!