100th Day of School

Today was the 100th day of school for this year.  Essie begged me to make a t-shirt for them last night as we were scarfing supper before piano lessons.  I reminded her that telling me the night before an event that you would like something made is not really helpful.  Daddy came to the rescue though when he remembered we had some fabric paint leftover from writing names on Christmas stockings.  He even did the writing on the t-shirts (since his handwriting is so much better then mine).  The girls were thrilled and even found t-shirts that had stains on them already so it didn't matter if we wrote on them. (I'm raising thrifty kids.)

I found this pic of the girls from 2 years ago on the 100th day-
they've grown just a bit!

The girls also completed their first Level 1a piano book.  While piano practice times have been a stress for me, they are doing very well.  I just break out in a cold sweat every time I hear myself yelling "that's a B flat" and flashbacks of my mother saying the same thing to me as a child flood my mind.

I had the girls practice their note recognition and Essie proudly declared she had written a new song.  I couldn't convince her this was not the real tune to Jesus Loves Me but it was so cute, I saved it for her memory folder. 

A Visit with Friends

Our friends the Waggoners shared at our church yesterday as they prepare for full-time ministry in Albania (the country of birth for their 2 children).  We had a great time catching up with them!

Nathan sharing about their ministry

The kids being entertained with fidget toys, helpful for all kids to make it through a long church service, but especially for our kids and their sensory needs.

5 children, 4 adoptions from 2 different countries, no longer orphans, but friends

Free Sample Day!

Look at all the free samples I got in the mail today!

The small bottle is Method laundry detergent.  Its supposed to work with just s few squirts.  Can't wait to try it.  The light bulbs are from our electric company (no idea why they sent them to me, but trust, I know I'm paying for them somehow).  The reusable shopping bag is from Earthbound Farm.  This is the 2nd (or 3rd) free bag I've gotten from them for "liking" them on fb.  They also give out a ton of coupons.  I love going to the mailbox on days like this!

I See Sprouts

So its a balmy 21 degrees here in Kentucky today.  The sun is shining so that helps, but really only deceives one into thinking its warmer outside than it really is.  My poor daffodils are already up and now they are shivering with the rest of us.

I also see some sprouts from the tomato seeds I planted last week.  I broke down and bought a fluorescent light for them.  Now that I'm planting more things from seeds, I figured it was worth the $15 investment.  

I also ordered a new addition to the homestead today and I'm so excited I'm about to pop!  But I'm going to keep you guessing what it is for a few more weeks until it arrives.  (No blabbing, Kelly Jackson!)

A Little Homestead Update

It's been a while since I've posted.  Sorry about that! I kinda hibernate during January.  I just hate the cold weather! We did have a break and had a day that was 60 degrees!  I took the opportunity to spend some time with my ladies!  The day after this video, we had a high of 37 degrees.  (Typical KY weather)

I've spent this winter making as much compost as possible to get my garden off to a great start come spring!

I left a recycled window over my strawberry plants this winter and guess what? I ate 3 strawberries in December and have harvested 2 in January.
They were so yummy!

Can you see it?

Also this week, I started my tomato plants.  They aren't up yet, but trust me, there are at least 50 seeds planted in my flats.  I'll post a pic as soon as they are up!

I can't wait for spring!!!

I Like Adoption

New Film Premiere - I Like Adoption. from ILikeGiving.com on Vimeo.

How Much Land Do You Need?

The topic of land and houses has been buzzing around here.  I've wanted to find more land for a year now, but the price of land in our county is utterly ridiculous. Our little town has been over developed so now anyone with 5 acres thinks they can sell it for $200k, hoping a developer will come and subdivide the property.  We really don't want to leave Wilmore because we love this little town and our kids love their friends and school.  But the options are really limited.  So the question of "How Much Land Do We Really Need" has been on my mind.  We'd love to expand our urban homestead to include bees, more poultry (ducks?), fruit trees and vines and of course expand our veggie garden. Sitting smack dab in the middle of our subdivision doesn't leave room for any of this and so my mind continues to contemplate.  I found this graphic on another blog and thought it was interesting.  I really want to add solar panels, but I want to be sure we have settled on the right piece of land before making such a large investment. 

Click on the picture to enlarge

Stars & Stripes Forever

I think Essie has a career in choreography.

Date Night at the UK Basketball Game

Matt's sister is a proud season ticket-holder for Kentucky basketball, and her Christmas present to Matt this year was tickets to the game tonight vs. Eastern Michigan.  We actually were blessed to have one of the UK player's sister (the twins' summer camp counselor) watch our kids for us so we could get away to see the game.

Rupp Arena

The Starting Lineups for Kentucky

At each game, during a second-half timeout, the cheerleaders spell out "KENTUCKY" on the floor, and the "Y" is always a special guest.  Tonight the "Y" was former Wildcat and current NBA player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

UK Wildcat mascot and cheerleaders

Cats win a close one...by 52.