We’re still working outside. My neighbor and good friend’s daughter came around selling plants for cheerleading. I was done planting, but I bought 2 more flats of plants. Yesterday we went to pick them up along with a few bags of mulch (yeah, those 8 yards weren’t quite enough) and a few more items we needed. Deja vu …another planting and mulching weekend…groan.

I married my DH for his sense of humor…he still makes me laugh. My youngest-13, DS2 is his Dad in the making with jokes (he can always get me laughing), but unfortunately he also picked up on the practical joke trait…I hate practical jokes, so of course they torment me with them. All day long yesterday DS2 was ‘getting me’ with practical jokes. I’m turning on the hose and a trickle comes out…it happens now if there’s a lot of water running elsewhere (had to have our water pressure turned down after it blew out our first water heater). I’m yelling to DH to see if someone’s in the shower and the dishwasher is running. You guessed it, DS2 around the corner snickering while he holds a fold in the hose! I’m setting up the sprinkler, you guessed it…on comes the sprinkler in my face!

Practical jokes are a family specialty. The first time I drove down for the weekend to meet DH’s parents his dad he tormented me with them. I poured my cereal and went to get the milk…came back and my bowl was gone…the snickering soon began as I was puzzling out where I left it…that was just the beginning…one shoe missing, etc. His dad is now 80 and he’s still pulling them on me…there’s no hope that DS2 will ever outgrow this.

DH has been doing these to me for years…he sees an opportunity and he’s all over it…he’s very quick witted…that and sneaky. Luckily when others are around I’m not the only mark. We were all driving in one of my sister’s vans and she stopped to get gas. We had the same make of van and DH was sitting in the way back…he knew there was a wire back there that is a backup in case your lever that opens the gas door breaks. She finished filling up and closed the gas door…you guessed it ‘POP’ the door opens up…her windows were tinted so she couldn’t see that we were in all hysterics watching her close it over and over as DH was quietly pulling that wire ‘POP’!

He’s done almost the same scenario on his sister as we all watched from the window in the house…POP the trunk keeps opening on his car as she’s putting something in it (electronic opener).

My Mom, the gardener is always bringing me plants. When we first moved here she proudly brought us a May Apple plant. I'm thanking her and DH makes this huge deal out of how nice it is and that we need some cool shade plants for the woods behind us and sends her back into the woods to plant it. We soon hear "VERY FUNNY!' (I didn't know it, but he did, the woods was full of May Apple plants).

Once my sis and I went into the bathroom while DH was getting gas. We came out and got back into the car only to realize it wasn't our car! DH saw the same car waiting in line behind him and quickly got gas and moved around the corner to watch it all unfold...pure evil!

The only thing worse than a practical joke is scaring me…I HATE being scared! He’s gotten me really badly many times, but I put the kibosh on that after one particular incident (I don't think I shared this yet). We were newlyweds and living in our first apartment and both working day jobs. I’d forgotten something I needed at home and went home during my lunch to get it. Well, I had to go so I went into our one bathroom and had a seat. I’m doing my thing and I suddenly hear a loud moan and two arms come around from either side of the shower curtain right next to me reaching for me …so NOT FUNNNY…I could have had a heart attack! He had forgotten his lunch that day and came home to eat it and heard me coming in…sneaky, the man is sneaky…and now I have two of them at home.