My Dad.....

I miss him and often think of what he has taught me.  One thing is...you NEVER borrower something.  I remember dreading asking if I could borrower a car/truck or whatever.  He always made me feel guilty.  This is something he also said frequently to Ronnie.  Ronnie never borrows from ANYONE (well, there are two people).  But, we have an awesome neighbor (actually a good neighbor =) who volunteered to let Ronnie use his snowblower to bail us out.

At the time of borrowing, Ronnie was sure to tell our (awesome) neighbor that he would have one for the next snowstorm.  HEHE.  So...after borrowing this yesterday -

Ronnie spent hours researching and locating snow blowers.  He was set on the Cub Cadet which is the highest rated 2015 snow blower.  He found a dealer that had some in stock in Chambersburg, PA.

After calling Shank's Lawn Equipment,  he made a trip.  It was worth it!  They were great to deal with from the phone call to the close of the deal.  And they are currently offering 0% financing for 18 months.  And, he is now the proud owner of this -

So if anyone is looking for snow removal, call Ronnie  (304) 997-0023 - he will be glad to help, lol.  The more he works, the quicker this new toy,  tool, BEAST gets paid for.  Bring on the snow next weekend.  (ok, I'm sure I have hater now).

And if you're looking to buy one of your own, here's the LINK to their web-site with lots of info.

Merry Christmas to me!

As a kid I remember the 'cuckoo'.  My Dad loved his crazy clock and at times it was totally annoying, LOL  I also remember the chain sound as the clock was being wound.  Oh those memories.  Special.  Unforgettable.  So when I opened the box Christmas morning and found this - i was soo excited.

And i love hearing that annoying cuckoo.  And love hearing the chains being pulled to keep it going.

Thanks Ronnie - it's a special gift.  Totally LOVE it.

Geez....

I can't believe tomorrow is December 1st.  Whew - where did this year go?  And, with November coming to an end, my handsome husband is able to shave, ha!

Yep!  this is his 2nd or 3rd year participating in the "No Shave November" fundraiser and was sure to donate tonight.  He said he only saved $5 since he only shaves once a week but was sure to multiple that by 10 since it's such a good cause.

Too bad I didn't get an 'after' picture.....maybe tomorrow =)  Did you participate? Ronnie challenged all his FB friends to match or 'up' his contribution.  We shall see who is up for that challenge.  

Now it's on to December with just 21 days and it will stay light a little bit longer =)  I'm counting down.

Happy Father's Day!

To my Dad who I miss SO much - even his jokes and craziness =)

and how fitting to have lunch at Denny's.....so many Denny's memories for us -

The famous Super Bird -

and the 'new' Turkey club - ALWAYS good food.

and to my husband who definitely deserves a day to relax, eat good and do whatever makes him happy - Thanks for all you do for us.....I love you very much.

and I can't forget about my Father-in-law.....

I hope all the Dad's out there have a wonderful day.  Enjoy!

Better Left Unsaid

this may be the case sometimes but not today....

I have to admit that I was very surprised Ronnie wasn't recognized at the Awards Ceremony today for all the hard work, effort and successes that have been experienced in the past two years since he has been the Official Race Director. I had my notebook but thought maybe it would be unprofessional or tactful for me to be the one speaking. Now that I am in the comfort of my own home, I have decided that I at least need to put my words down on paper and/or share with my blog friends. So here it goes -

Ronnie, here's to....

all the negotiating with our local businesses for discounts with the race financial situation in mind

knowing EVERYONE you know which has helped the organization tremendously by getting what they need, when they need it and for the most part free!

being a man of many talents. From building things, writing things, meeting with people, making phone calls - for doing just about anything asked and doing it right!

the sleepless nights when you weren't sure how the cars were getting transported

being pretty much solely responsible for everything necessary in order to send the cars down the hill safely and timely (except for the timers)

the countless hours spent at the fairgrounds alone, working on cars, sorting parts and doing whatever needed to be done

being available in the evenings and weekends whenever a parent asked for help (outside the designated clinic times)

making sure the manuals are up to date, parents know what to do and when to do it

treating everyone fairly even if it meant holding up the heat pulls just to ensure everyone that wanted to race could race

exceeding our cell phone minutes month after month due to all the phone calls required to coordinate the event

all the missed dinners due to late meetings and skipped lunches just because you were too busy

all the baseball/softball games/practices missed due to conflcts with race activities

giving up Kenny Chesney/Zac Brown tickets this year because the concert fell on race day!

being patient with everyone even those that don't follow directions =)

I'm certain there are many other things I left out but I just have to say that the race couldn't go on (as easily) without you. When you stepped into this role, it looked nothing like it looks today. The work you have done over the past two years has ensured two successful races, GREAT job!

I know and understand that we see this first hand because we are 'behind the scenes' with you but there is a ton of work that goes into a one day race. We love you and are very proud of your dedication, hard work and continued support. Ray must be smiling down at you!

Bev, Cierra & Chase

His and Hers -

WARNING!!!

This is a long post with lots of details so....either get a cup of coffee or go ahead and "x" out, haha!

If you decided to hang around, thanks!

Back in 2005 we purchased our first motorhome. It wasn't our first 'camper' purchase but due to a very unfortunate situation, we bit the bullet and purchased a full fledged, class C motorhome. We have absolutely NO regrets. But....we really wanted to build a garage to 'store' our motorhome. So....this story begins.

Many (haha) years ago we pursued our goal. But...due to the set-backs and boundaries we couldn't build a stand a lone garage. We had to build an attached garage. Our house was relatively small (2400 sq ft) with a 2 car garage. So, with a pencil and paper, I outlined what I thought a 16' garage added onto our house would look like. (we still have this today). Once we finally agreed, we began this adventure. The weeks, months and actually years passed.....all the while our 'addition' was underway. Wow. But, three years ago, we finalized our loan and our house was considered 'complete'. In whose eyes?! lol! There are still things to be done!

But, little by little we have finished the rooms. The addition landed me a sewing room and Ronnie a bar and "Nascar" room. My sewing room, for whatever reason, ended up getting finished first. The bar came shortly thereafter but was never really 'finished' based on our expectations. So, with our annual Crocketts Tavern Holiday Party just around the corner, and Ronnie having a week off, sleeves were pulled up and work was underway. Tonight I think he his done. Woohoo!

As I sat there and looked at the 'nearly' finished room and realized it is ALL ABOUT Ronnie, I decided it was worthy of a blog post so here goes -

Ronnie is very sentimental. Whenever he receives a gift, a card, or pretty much anything it becomes meaningful to him. For the several years Christmas and birthday gifts have remained in their boxes until that special time to come out and get integrated into the 'house'. The walls of his bar are covered. Let's go on a tour - He loves Andy Griffin....and LOVES old stuff. This clock hangs on the wall as you go up the steps.

A wall hanging we picked up while in Daytona this year -

We keep all our corks....don't ask me why but fortunately there are things like this to keep them in...


ahhhhh and then there's the horseshoe. Most of our rooms have one. They are for 'good luck'!

And how fitting?! Our "Olde Time Photo" right on the corner....

And that Christmas present from 'years' ago, lol!

Of course his 'rustic' room can't go without the smell of balsam and cedar, right? This is his favorite scent....

And another great find - holds 4 bottles! Notice the Childress winery bag. On one of our trips to the Charlotte Nascar race we stopped by Richard Childress' winery. It had just opened and was beautiful. I'm sure it has gotten more beautiful over the past few years.



The rockers.....we spend many a night just sitting in these chairs talking. We recently added foot stools. We have four however Ronnie and I have what we call 'our' specific rocker, lol! I tried to move but it just wasn't the same.


This was recently added to the wine barrel table - an old time 'courting candle'. Basically you light it while your daughter is out but she better be home before it burns too low =)


Now there's a LOT of stuff in this picture....notice the corner shelf. That was one of Chase's first 4H woodworking projects....looks like Ronnie found the perfect spot. Next, the wood clock. That was my Grandma's (aka Ma). I love it that he made this a part of his room, too =) The cork purse...and a pretty cool wine rack. All packed right in this little corner of his world.

His favorite candy can be seen in baskets...Cierra got him a whole big bucket for Christmas, lol!

This shows a personalized Cheese board/wine bottle from some friends this Christmas, Ronnie's bar sign that he has had for YEARS and a card and wine bottle/cheese tray from my sister and brother-in-law. All just hangin' out -
of course, there's gotta be a little bit of Disney....

and St. John -

ahhh and then there's this - this was my license plate for many years. While on a trip to Dresden, Ohio we found a winery and loved this wine. My suv just happened to be burgundy so it was kind of fitting, ha! Boy did we get questions ALL the time about this -

What will you have!? The beer glasses finally made it out of the box after many years! Ronnie wanted the 'perfect' fit wine glass rack so opted to make this one. Turned out pretty nice, huh?!

It's 5 o'clock here ALL THE TIME -

It's always fun when we break the games out.....I remember the first time we played "The Game of Things", we learned SO much about our friends lol!

This old beer crate was a welcomed Christmas present from my Dad -


And this sign was from the original Howard Johnson's when Mom and Dad bought the building and turned it into Denny's!

Kayden LOVES stars so Poppy wanted to make sure he had a few of them, too!

These grape lights were given to me a while back by my Mom....we never put them up and somehow Scanlon chewed the wire but.....Ronnie was able to save them! I think they add such character, huh?!

So now let's stand back and look - woohoo!

I did decide to share the 'hers' segment separately - I know this has covered a lot but thanks for hanging in there =)

Before and After

I mentioned in a few posts over the weekend that Ronnie helped out a friend by "re-doing" their bathroom. Of course I'm partial but it turned out really nice! I think you'll agree....shower "before"shower "after"vanity "before"vanity "after" a lot different, huh?

One little envelope....

with one BIG word!

Two weeks ago tonight Ronnie was cleaning his office (late) and found the information for his Electrician's upcoming test. Oh no!! It was the very next morning. No studying, no reading, not even any thinking about it, off he went to give it his best shot!

And...how perfect was it for him to get this nice letter in the mail on Friday!? Congratulations Ronnie - I knew you passed even though you wouldn't let me say it out loud!

You just never know...

What Ronnie is up to! He is always resourceful and very creative - and tonight he was definitely on a roll. It's Tuesday which means SCOUTS! So, for their activity he decided to make Christmas wreaths. What a great idea and I love it. He made one for me so I hung it on the front door. It smells soooo good, too!

Then, I was busy while he was gone, wrapping, baking and organizing so didn't have dinner ready by the time he got home. He decided to try "turkey cakes". I opted for cereal but hey, they do look pretty good. If you really think about it, it's the same ingredients as crab cakes, right?

Anyone else ever fixed turkey cakes?

The RONNIE show - AM 740

If you are familiar with talkshows, there is a very popular one in our area, WRNR Talk Radio AM 740. Yesterday they had a very special guest - Ronnie!

As most of you know, he is very active in our community and typically doesn't say NO to any request. So who else should promote the Shenandoah Area Council, specifically the Mannahoac District 2009 Food Drive but Ronnie?! Last year was his first year as the Food Drive Coordinator and they were able to meet the goal of over 15,000 lbs. That had never been done before, ha!

This year is another difficult year with our local food pantry in dire need of food. We are raising the bar in hopes of bringing in 16,000 lbs and need all the help we can get. If every family gives one can, what a difference that would make. WRNR is very supportive and allowed Ronnie to talk about the Scouts and explain how important it is to support these boys. Thanks WRNR for allowing Ronnie to be a part of your show!
For those of you in our county, this year's food drive is as follows. We will be distributing door hangers on November 7th with pick up the following Saturday, November 14th. We are asking for everyone's support. If you don't receive a door hanger by November 9th and want to contribute, please contact Ronnie at 304-725-8021. We will pick-up. The best part of our drive is that all the food stays local. Our boys enjoy this annual activity and love unloading all the food at the pantry, they like making a difference!

p.s. Ronnie has already been asked to join the show again next month, promoting the Soap Box Derby so stay tuned :)