Restoration

About five years ago, this farm house stood dilapidated and in need of a lot of TLC. It had been abandoned and left vacant for many years until a local builder purchased the farm along with its 70 acres.

The builder left the farmhouse untouched while he worked on his plans for subdividing the acreage. It was a diamond in the rough and I knew the old place had character and the potential to be transformed into a rustic and charming home. Today, it's all that and more. The owners, John and Robin who purchased the farm from the builder as is, did a wonderful job adding their personal touches meanwhile, keeping the farmstead look alive. I wish I had a picture of the farm house before renovations to better illustrate why I'm even blogging about this.

Everything in red was part of the original house. They enclosed the front porch and added the portion to the left. The back of the house has a big covered deck overlooking acres of serene farmland. The best part is that I pass this place everyday and remember how it used to look. I'm so glad it's been tastefully restored into a beautiful farm house that makes the neighbors a little envious but at the same time, glad someone else saw a hidden gem. Our dog, Nyati lived on this farm until we adopted him.

Birthday Blessings

May God continue to bless your life and give you the desires of your heart.

As God adds life to your years, may he add years to your life.


Here's to another year of blessings!

Happy Birthday Sister!!!

Me and My Shadow

The balmy weather on Saturday kept us outside most of the day. We decided to take a walk later in the afternoon as the sun was starting to lower to the horizon. The sun was bright and warm, so we wrapped our jackets around our waists and meandered along the road kicking stones, watching for wildlife, and soaking up the warmth of the sun. The girls had fun watching their shadows cast across the road onto the bank. It was perfecting timing for an afternoon walk.

Here are a few pictures from our walk.

Breakfast Birthday Celebration

Pop Oz and MiMi

This year for Pop's birthday, we celebrated a little differently. In the past, our tradition has been meeting at their house for ice-cream and cake, but this year, we went out for breakfast.

Pop has grown to love dinning at Dutch Country Restaurant. He often goes there for breakfast on Saturday mornings with his daughter, Kris. So, the family thought it would be fun to surprise him and celebrate his birthday there.

It turned out great! The chocolate chip pancakes seemed to be a popular choice...even for the grown ups but the best part was seeing Pops surprised look when he turned the corner and saw all of us. We had 19 people and was only missing one. Here are a few pictures from our breakfast birthday celebration.

From left: Mom Oz, Pop Oz, Kim, Matt, Kris, Holly and Gabby

The whole gang

The Best Things About Fall

The best things about fall are...

Finding pretty leaves

Throwing leaves over your head and watching them float through the air...

...and having a sister to do that with.

Shoot Me! #16 of 52

Every Thursday, I will be participating in Just Shoot Me hosted by Forever In Blue Jeans.

Here are the rules: Post a picture of you, yes you, with a spouse, child, friend, or even yourself every Thursday. Click here to see more Just Shoot Me.

I'm pictured with my good friend, Colleen. We've known each other for only a short period of time, but have become very close friends. We are neighbors and she has twins the same age as Gabby so, we have a lot in common. Colleen and I grew up in the same neighborhood in Baltimore, MD and she was in the same kindergarten class as my sister, CL, however, our families did not know each other. Ironically, here we are many, many years later getting to know each other.

Wordless Wednesday

I'm not saying a word...