September memories

One September afternoon as the plumber is in our basement

replacing a large section of our septic line,

Nathan is at the orthodontist getting an expander 

put in, Grace is playing, and I'm cleaning ...

 I heard a weird water/wind noise so 

I check ...not coming from Grace...

not coming from the basement ...

it was outside as two rivers

of water rushed down our backyard.

Our pool collapsed!

Keep in mind, the pool with built around deck

were here when we bought the house and

are 30 years old ...

and we were holding our breath. 

It still was an overwhelming day for me!

{We went out for ice cream that night after dinner!}

But the next day, the kids got in the pool to 

play in what water was left, to say good-bye 

to our pool and had a blast!!

I've been so proud of how well they have

handled losing the pool which they

swam in daily each of the 8 summers

we've lived here.  

They have big plans for the salvaged

wood from the deck too! 

And now on to Grace's birthday celebration!

Grace is a Nancy Drew mystery fan.

We have collected many of the books.

Some were even my gramma's!

And Grace loves getting pulled into a mystery.

She's even made herself a sleuthing bag.

So we had a Mystery Dinner party to

celebrate her 11th birthday!

Question Mark cake

Wreath made from an old Nancy Drew book 

(a double we had picked up at a yard sale)

to welcome guest

Table set for mystery dinner ...

each guest was assigned a seat where props

were awaiting them

Fun decorations.

Our family ...in character!

Each person that came to the Mystery dinner was 

assigned a character to dress/act.

During dinner, everyone introduced themselves.

After dinner, we had a mystery to solve ...

following a reader's theater type script...

and of course acting in character.  

It was a lot of fun!

We even made a back drop and everyone

posed for their mug shot!

"Pinky"

Newspaper reporter

"Nancy Drew"

World Traveler

The true heir to the fortune! 

"Mulch"

Retired Archaeologist ...Current Gardner

"Wheels Cohen"

Race-car driver

"Sammy Snaps"

Photographer

"Lucky Liam"

Poker Player and Private Investigator

"Freddie Farr"

Lawyer and Master of Ceremonies

"

"Party Crashers"

We made some fun and laughable memories in September!