Backed up sewer

Last Saturday morning I had plans of running errands and working at my Dad's house.  Those plans changed when I flushed the toilet upstairs and Dale yelled from the downstairs bathroom, "Don't flush the toilet any more!  Don't shower!  Don't run any water down the drains!  We have a big problem here!!"  Looking back over the week I should have seen the signs.  The downstairs toilet was unusually dirty.  I just assumed the kids somehow made the mess.  Then Bryson told me that while he was on the downstairs toilet, someone flushed the upstairs toilet and his toilet "bubbled up underneath him"!  It wasn't until Saturday morning that the sewer truly backed up into the house.  We hoped and prayed it was going to be an easy fix, but you just never know.  Dale called to see if someone could come over and drain our septic tank, hoping that's all that needed done.  The last time we had it drained was 2007.  When Dale told the lady we were a family of nine, she said, "Oh!  You  need to have yours pumped every two years!"

 Brady dug it up and Dale removed the lid.

 Fortunately the septic service already had a truck out in Littlestown, so they came fairly soon after we called.

 During the process Dale had to dig another hole. This one much deeper than the first.  He was sore afterward!

Well, that was the problem, an overflowing septic tank!  Thank goodness that's all there was to it!  When the toilets were flushing normally and everything was draining as it should, Kaden helped to fill in the holes.

Bye bye bushes

I lived in the same house all my life until I left home at age 18 to serve in Brethren Volunteer Service.  After just over a year of service in Dixon, Illinois, I lived at home for a year while I worked to save money before attending Elizabethtown College for four years.  After graduation I lived at home for two more years until Dale and I married.  So, for 26 years (off and on) this was my home.  The bushes in the front of the house were always there.  As a child I played around them and hid behind them.  When the realtor came to look at the house she strongly suggested we get rid of the bushes.  Although we had to agree, it was hard to see them go.

Yesterday Tim used Dad's chain saw to cut away the bushes, and Dave moved the branches out of the way and stacked them on the back of Tim's truck.

While Tim and Dave worked outside, Kenzie watched and took rides on the back of Tim's truck as Tim hauled the branches to the burn pile on what was once Pappy's garden.

I busied myself inside cleaning out the bottom of the filing cabinet where I found more family history information.  My brothers agreed that all the family history information should be kept together in one place and that I could be the person to hold onto it!  I also cleaned out a corner of Mom's closet where I found, not only more family history information, but every card, letter or drawing the grandchildren ever gave them!  I'm hoping this week to go back to the house and finish boxing up the kitchen.  The more work we do, the more we pack up, the more we remove from the house, the emptier it becomes and the more difficult it is to walk through the front door.  I don't look forward to the day it's empty and belongs to someone else.

Spirit Week

This is the week before the big Homecoming game!  Each day this week the kids are to dress to show their team spirit.  The kids had off school Monday.  Tuesday was "Jersey Day", Wednesday was "Wacky Wednesday", today was "Nerd Day" for Ashton's school and "70's Day" at Kassie's.

This was as wacky as Bryson was willing to go.  He would have sprayed red dye into his hair, but didn't want red streaks going down his face when he perspired in gym class.  Ashton helped him spike his hair in a hurry that morning.  The funny thing was, later that night before going to bed Bryson realized he and Ashton spiked his hair with Brady's deodorant instead of hair wax!  LOL!

 Can you guess what's wacky about Avery's outfit?  We couldn't figure it out either so he had to tell us, "I'm wearing the same jeans that I wore yesterday!"

 Clearly, Ashton and Kassie were both completely whacked out!

 This is the outfit Ashton came up with for "Nerd Day".  Kassie announced she needed 70's clothes, and in the same breath asked if she could borrow some of my clothes!  Thanks Kassie!  I'm not sure how 70's she is, but it would have to do.  She found this dress in the back of the closet.  I bought it when Avery and Bryson were newborns so I could nurse them while at church!  I didn't know I still had it!

A couple of weeks ago I went into the Winter Gardens' Retail store to buy potato salad.  While there I entered my name in the free lunch drawing.  Earlier this week they called to say I had won!  Today I collected my prize!  I had plenty of soup, so I was able to share with Nan Nan.  Kaden and I have been helping Nan with lunch a couple times a week.  She enjoys the company and Kaden loves playing with her cats!

Ashton turns 14

Yesterday my third born turned fourteen!  Ashton chose Kentucky Fried Chicken for her special meal and cherry cheese pie for dessert.

 Kaden gave her his toy snake!  She also received silly bands, candy, gum, a beef jerky stick, a water gun and some Halloween make up from her siblings.

 Ashton also received Goldfish crackers in her favorite flavor... vanilla!

I also wrapped up her favorite candy bars... Fast Break and PB Twix!  We have yet to go shopping for her "big" gift.

Happy Birthday Ashton Girl!