A good, old fashonioned Barn Raising.....

So on Tuesday of this week my neighbors had a lot trees taken down and since they were just going to get rid of the wood bits left after the tree stumps were ground down, I decided it was a great way to get some free mulch!

Yesterday, Bill, Little Dude and I went over to start filling out our wheel barrel with some mulch for my flower garden. Then our other neighbor's son came over and started to help shovel mulch. After John got home, he came over and started helping too. Then Amy and Alan got out extra tools and their wheel barrel and an awesome pitch fork (we just had shovels) and started moving mulch as well. THEN Caroline and the kids, Cole and Keely came over to hang out and give moral support. By then Randy came over to open the gate for everyone moving wheel barrels (he had back surgery a little while ago so he couldn't do any lifting). By this time our whole little block of neighbors is helping and hanging out, all the while moving VAST amounts of mulch across the street to our yard!

We got more mulch than I had ever thought we'd get (I seriously was going to quit after getting enough for the flower garden), but with all the help, we had all of it moved in no time at all! And, even better, got to spend some really awesome quality time with all of our awesome neighbors. Alan even said after we were done that it was time to "raise the barn".

I have to say, seriously, if I ever did win the lottery, I could never move to a new house. I just couldn't leave my neighbors! And on the flip side, if a number of them start moving away, we are moving in a heartbeat. Isn't it wonderful how a great group of neighbors can make or break a neighborhood? Bill and I talked about it last night after all the fun and togetherness: we would choose this house and the sweet neighbors we have any day over an awesome new house (where toilets don't decide to flush themselves...story for another day) with bad neighbors.

No, you know what? I already have won the lottery. I have been blessed with an awesome family, a warm house, and super great neighbors that I think of as extended family. What more could anyone want?

I didn't take any pictures last night; I should've! But, here is a picture from back in Nov. of Amy, Caroline and me and our kids and Blake, Randy's son. The fire truck came to check out a reported fire in the park, which ended up being nothing, but they were so nice and let the kids explore their trucks.


Have a blessed day!