Madison's Party at the Farm...

A while back Madison asked if she could have a party at the farm and we decided it would be a great idea.  She has never had friends out here and we have not ever planned a teen party.  Brian and I were excited and wanted to decorate - not knowing how much work was involved when you start from scratch.  We started at Dollar Tree to get an idea of what was out there and what we wanted to do, then I went on-line to Oriental Trading Co.  Between the two places, we found lots of good stuff.  We also wanted to grill hot dogs and burgers, and make some fun treats.  Madison wanted to play music so the girls (Yes, girls only...) could dance.  When I asked about music she looked at me and said "Our kind of music" meaning what 13 - 14 yr old girls like.  HA HA....since I have not heard of some of their bands, getting a play list together was her job.   This is what I learned - I am old and yes, music can be too loud.  Here is another thing I learned - don't put the music player behind the food tables...put it somewhere else that you (meaning the adult) is not going to hang out.  Ha ha...

There were 9 girls and I think they had a good time.  Parents were welcome but none of them stayed.  I was tickled that they not only drove all the way out here to drop kids off and pick them up, but that they trusted us with their girls.  The girls were a lot of fun and I got a taste of what that age group talks about.  Remember....I have no human children of my own.  My kids are of the critter variety.  Parents - I don't know how you do it...  Maybe it is because you grow with them so you are gradually introduced to their topics?  Yes, that has to be it.  Hee hee...it really was a hoot!

Here are a few pictures (leaving some of the close ups of the girls out since I am not sure how their parents would feel about their kids being plastered all over my blog)....

This little bat fell off some garland and hung out on the table all day long.  

Madison helping put up decorations...

I have never messed with this web stuff in packages, but it is awesome!  At first I looked at the small bags from Oriental and thought "Oh oh....that isn't going to cover squat."  I was so wrong.  There are 12 packages in a box and we didn't even use half.  Yay...





We set the food tables up under the canopy.  Oh...we were worried about weather but it did not rain at all...it was just cold but still bearable.

Look on the back wall by the cooler...see the guy hanging from the ceiling?  He is wrapped in a cocoon.  HA HA....I just had to get him.  We also have a skull with blinky eyes that is in a cocoon, but I didn't get a picture of him.  He was hidden in the woods for a while.






Close up of Cocoon Man with the spider...

 At night with low light, it was awesome...





 We had a Scavenger Hunt for the girls.  This is one of the things that was planned a lot bigger than it turned out due to time constraints.   The plan was to have clues to find different things.  What ended up happening is Madison and I hid half of the bones along with the head and jaw of the skeleton, and they all had to go find them and put Chuck back together.  I need to send this picture to Priefert...let them know that their feeders have many uses.  Ha ha.... 





And part of the girls are off....

 



Madison knew where everything was but the girls still managed to take the 'scenic route'...

After they got back, Brian helped them put Chuck back together.  I named him Chuck because I was going to bring out some of the deer burger my Mom canned for us, and tell them that it was Ground Chuck.  HA HA!  I will have to save that one for next year.

Ta Da....Chuck is whole again...

We got a few odds and ends for table decorations, and I brought a few things from my work cube.  







Okay, these glasses were the coolest thing, and the girls loved them.  I was not sure if they would stand up or not, but they balance real well.  You can put drink or treats in them.  Either way, they look neat.  I got these from Oriental Trading and there are 12 in a box.





 I made some Oreo Eye Balls...






The girls munched on the treats and there were tummy aches to be had that night...

Here is the music box behind the table...oy vey, way too loud.  The crock pot in front of the radio is some of Brian's yummy Cheese Dip - he had to mild it down since we were not sure if any of them could handle some spice.

Brian is setting up the wheel for a bon fire...

Hanging out by the bonfire....my only rule around the fire was for nobody to catch on fire.  I am happy to say we had a 100% success rate.

I tried to get some pictures without the flash...not too bad...

We found some Jumbo Marshamallows....the one Brian is holding is actually two - but they are still big.

Madison was running around with a t-shirt while everyone else was bundled up.  She says she got too hot sitting by the fire....I said I don't care - put your hoodie back on.  Ha ha ...

My friend Betty came out to give us another adult in this group....just in case.  We were not 100% sure how many were going to show up and we wanted to make sure we were covered.  Having her there was a huge help.  With her there, someone was always keeping track of groups of kids whether they were taking walks at night or staying by the fire.

Betty is cool...she is a Harley rider.

We did a Spooky Walk thru the woods.  Brian ran out and hung up glow sticks, and the girls were collect them along the way and bring them back.  Since I did not know any of them, we didn't plan for any big scary jumping out things this time around...
Now I will say that Brian disappeared early in the walk, and he found a spot to jump out and yell at everyone.  This was Madison's idea and it was hilarious.  They all handled the scare real well... wait until next year.  Hee hee...

Here is the Grand Finale....the plan was to put a bunch of balloons up filled with paint.  They would throw darts and the paint would splatter on the pumpkins below.  Sounds simple, right?  A big dart board and see what happens.  When we tested it - the paint was too thick and it just dripped down.  So I mentioned putting the paint in the syringes and squirting them at the pumpkins.  Oh my gosh, they loved it!  We only ran 2 at a time, and that was not enough.  Now that we know what we are doing, will for sure do it again, and be set up to run at least 3 if not 4 at a time.  

We were laughing at this one...the red trail looks like a C.S.I. crime scene...

The girls are waiting at the back of the truck to pick out their pumpkins and waiting for Brian to get the syringes filled and diluted with water to thin the paint out.

Two at a time...

Insane Asylum....

Pumpkin squirting area....

This is a new form of art around here.  Each girl got to take home her pumpkin, and now I have 2 stacks of cinder blocks and background boards painted beautifully.  I mentioned bringing them inside to try to find a place to set it up...it really is that cool...but Brian shot me down.  To be honest, I let him win this one because I really don't have time to try to find a spot for them.

So, all in all I think it was a big hit.  The girls got to do what girls do, they got to meet the animals, they had fun freaking out from the llama who ran after them because he wanted to meet them, and some got to meet their first mustangs.  It was a lot of work, but a great time.

I learned what foods worked better than others:

1. Burgers - I will make them bigger.  I made them small because they were kids...not thinking they were big kids.  Sorry girls...

2. Hot dogs - I will do less of them on the grill, and do more Mummy Dogs.  I wrapped breadstick dough around them and put them in the oven a while.  Oh my goodness, they were good.

3. Do not do overkill on treats.

4. Oreo Eye Balls - huge hit.

5. Witches Brooms - small pretzel sticks stuck in mini Reeces....huge hit.

6. Small pretzel sticks dipped in light and dark almond bard...huge hit.

7. Trail mix (peanuts, M&M's and I think a few Candy Corns)....okay, but not a huge hit.  I needed to put in more M&M's and no Candy Corn.  I usually do raisins but didn't this time....maybe I will next time.

8. Soda and water....kids drink lots and lots of soda if you get what they like...huge hit.  Water, not so much.

9. Rotel Cheese Dip....huge hit.

10.  Different kinds of chips....huge hit.

11.  I really don't have anything else that I can think of...

Until next year....Karen and Tripp who was watching from the woods thinking everyone was just plain crazy...

Bad Bad Boys...

My evening routine consists of putting Tandee in the barn to eat her Sr. feed, putting the new mini's in the barn on the other side of Tandee so they can eat their "no longer skinny" feed, and shutting the door to keep the others out.  Oh, they are not neglected...I usually bring out alfalfa cube treats for everyone, then give them some good massage and scratching sessions.

Tandee was almost done and wanted out, so I opened the door early thinking I could keep the others out.  Apparently I was not doing it right...and they know it.  While I was chasing Batman out, Red would come in, then I would chase him out and Batman would come back in, then Chase the llama would sneak in....oh my goodness, they were really pushing my buttons, so I had to pull out the "This girl means business" tude. 

This is Batman and Red knowing that they are not allowed to step foot inside the barn until I say so.  They are trying to look all cute and cuddly so I let them in early. 

CHASE the Llama:  "Screw looking all cute and cuddly...I am coming in now..."

So then I am standing inside the door scratching on Tandee and feeding her alfalfa cubes when I feel my bucket move...Mr. Nosey Red still has his feet outside the door...but he is stretching that neck for all it is worth.  Ha ha....

Tandee is missing most of her back teeth but she detests me softening her food for her.  She thinks soft food is for sissies.  I put just enough water in her beet pulp to fluff it up, then add a big scoop of Purina Sr. on top of that.  She usually cleans it up pretty good.  Tonite she grabbed an alfalfa cube out of my bucket when I was scooping road apples.  Normally she will mouth it until her spit softens it but tonite she dropped them on the ground then used her front teeth to pulverize it.  She eats it like I eat corn on the cob...one row of kernels at a time with my front teeth.  Anyways, she ate several of them tonite.  She is so hard to keep weight on and going in to winter makes it even tougher...then add that she is picky.  When she gets tired of something, I have to find something else that suits her.  Someone once told me "When she gets hungry enough she will eat."  Well, guess what?  No she won't.  And I am not willing to go more than two or three days to see how long she will hold out.  I did it once and she lost weight fast.  You know how hard it is to put it back on?  Geesh...so yeah, won't do that again.  She and I put a lot of miles on together and she took care of me.  It is my turn to take care of her.  She still makes me laugh, and she still has horrible manners but I don't care.  She is old and deserves to be left alone...she was like that for 20 something years before I learned there were better ways.
   

Until later...Karen and Tripp who wishes I would not have learned better ways so he could have bad manners and have it considered normal... 

Fun with my ponies on a rainy Fall day...

I knew it would be too muddy to ride, and since it was raining I would not have time to go anywhere due to it getting dark early.  So what is a girl to do????  Go out in the field and just have fun with her ponies...

This was my view when I pulled in the driveway.  I love when we can open the hillside for the horses...and they love getting to munch on grass.





They always find time to come say hello...even when grass is involved.  Miss Epona comes up to say hello, and show me the little piece of grass in her lips.  






Tripp says not to forget about him...he was eating grass too and is just as cute as Epona...







It was a self portrait kind of night.... Tripp, Nevada and myself.

 



After I got the feeding done and water tanks topped off, they all came up to say hello, get their alfalfa cube treat, then we headed to the hillside...

Fall foliage and mustang rumps...life is good...Ace and Nevada...

Smooch says Ace...

Then I started to play...

....and they played back...

Stormy....and the group further down...

The sun kissing the tree tops...

The sun came out...Sun...Fall Foliage...Mustang Rumps...

Nevada blending in....

Nevada eye...when you click on the picture to make it big, you can see the water drops in his hair...

Joker and I...he has a personality like Tripp...

STORMY:  "Nope, not gona smile...not gona do it...der her...."

STORMY:  "Just kidding...CHEESE...."

TRIPP:  "I am not going to say CHEESE...that is stupid.  You do know where cheese comes from, don't you?"

This is all about camera angles...Tripp looks like he has a beefcake rump...hubba hubba...

TRIPP:  "Help me...I am starving...must eat...."

TRIPP:  ".....Honey Locust pods....  Hey little lady...goin' my way (insert sexy stud muffin accent here)?"

TRIPP:  "I like that my girl loves to have fun, and I like that my girl loves me.  Yes, I am a horse and live in the moment...and I love my girl every single moments."

Until later...Karen and Tripp who is speechless with emotion....JUST KIDDING...HA HA....I am full of speech...