Home Is Where The Heart Is

I'm surprised at us.  I thought we'd stay in my parent's house while visiting, but we're not.  For some reason, we're staying in the RV.  Now, here's a sentence I thought I'd never type . . .  We are living in an RV in my parent's driveway.  We are sleeping, showering, and cooking meals in our RV.  I know it's because all our belongings are already in it, and it's just easier to do things in it, but it still surprises me.  I thought we'd wait to live in the motorhome until we had no other option.  But, here we are, with comfortable amenities just footsteps away, and all of us including Billie Jean are crammed in it every night.

Our adventures weren't supposed to commence until mid July, but we've also jump-started that.

We've been enjoying rural living and taking some day trips . . .

This is the view from my parent's front porch.  So peaceful.

My dad and I took LAR and CBR riding the other day. 

One afternoon, the entire family went out to pick blackberries.  Later, my mom made a  blackberry pie.  We ate the pie while playing a board game. 
Ahhhh, simplicity.

These are some of my mom's Leicester Longwool sheep.  She is very involved with gardening and preserving heritage breeds (of nearly every type).  She's a wealth of knowledge for the kids.  She does a great job of teaching them without them knowing.  For example, she asked the kids to come in from swimming a little early so they could do a science project with her.  Little did I know, she had a whole project using the sheared wool from these very sheep.

Before:  sheared wool.         After:  felt.

When I walked in, mom had CER making felt.  Using an antique washboard, CER had taken this wool fleece, and added soap, & water, and a little elbow grease to work it into felt.  Thanks mom - we can check off science for today.

Exhibit A.

Exhibit A and B follow as further evidence of how my mom can manipulate children for her gain.

These pictures showcase how my mom dazzles me with her brilliance.  Just how does she con three unsuspecting children into watering, weeding, and harvesting her garden in 90 degree heat.  They had a ball; they begged for more.  Sure, she let "the help" eat some of the apples off her apple tree, but it only further lured them in.  At that point she had them in the palm of her hand, and they thought nothing of following her into to kitchen for a thorough washing, and chopping of all the veggies.  The girls even stuck around long enough to fully prepare lunch from the harvest.

Exhibit B.

Genius, just genius.

It hasn't been all work and no play, though.  Brown's parents took us out on their ski boat one day in Tennessee.  Brown's sister joined us, which always adds a fun factor to any event.  We were able to ski and knee board, and cool off with frequent swims in the lake.  It was nice to be able to swim in the water without having to worry about lurking alligators as we do in South Carolina.
The big deal of the day was CER learning to water ski for the first time!

The next day, back in Kentucky, we enjoyed a good 'ol Kentucky pool party at my aunt's house.

Now, as much as I'd like people to throw off all those stereotypes they may have about Kentuckians . . . well, this is my cousin. 
That's right.  It's a chicken.  Nobody even blinked at this.

 -- Is it wrong that this picture makes me proud to be a Kentuckian? --

We've also been doing a little visiting with friends.

The kids and I were very excited to visit a friend I hadn't seen in a very long time.  Since I'd seen her last, she's moved to a brand new house, had a brand new baby, and ordered brand new furniture.  There was a lot to catch up on.  Unfortunately, our visit was short-lived.  It was going nicely, and LAR was holding the precious baby, and loving all over her, until . . . it was everywhere.  Throw up.  My precious LAR announced nearly four seconds before the event began that she felt as if she needed to vomit.  We spent the next twenty minutes with Lysol and Clorox wipes cleaning the brand new floors, brand new furniture, and brand new rugs from the living room through the kitchen, down the hall and into the bathroom.  Then we left.

We've also been battling ear infections, allergies, and tick infestations.  Traveling or not, life happens.

All in all, our first week has been . . . like we're at home.