Kentucky Momma

Last Friday evening, Kelli and I headed to the airport to pick up my mom. She was coming for all the fall fun around here and for a long over due vacation.

Fall feet

 On Saturday we went to the Crossing Festival in Glendale. (See previous post "Glendale Days") After spending the morning enjoying pumpkin fudge, honey lemonade and candied pecans we went into town and then took a drive. Growing up one of my favorite activities was taking long drives with my mother and right now all the fall colors made for a beautiful drive.

The next day we had a nice relaxing lazy day. We made some chili and cornbread and then enjoyed an evening by the fireside.

On Monday we went "Amishing" (Kelli's new word) In our area there are a few Amish communities. A many run little shops. One of the shops is part a salvage store with past-the-date/damaged items from regular stores, part Amish goods like jams and part bakery. They had some fresh made donuts that were delicious. We also got to enjoy more beautiful country scenery as we drove from one Amish store to the next.

That night Kelli and Mom went out for hot chocolate and Kelli showed Mom around Etown. Most every night I talk to Meric on Skype but while my mom is visiting we decided to only talk every other night. On the nights I talked to Meric my mom and Kelli got to enjoy a little one on one time. When they came back that night my mom had bought a puzzle for us to put together while she was here. It was a lot of fun..

Enjoying the colors

 On Tuesday we took Mom to Saunders Spring to hike a little. It was absolutely gorgeous with all of the fall colors. We had a nice time hiking around the trails and just enjoying the beautiful day.

Having fun at Saunders Spring

 Then we went to Fort Knox. We drove Mom around and showed her some of the landmarks of Fort Knox. Kelli also got to show Mom where she volunteers in the hospital. After getting some Bluebell ice cream we headed home and enjoyed another evening by the campfire.

Can you see Mom?

Wednesday I decided to take Mom back to Glendale. Glendale days are fun but so crowded with people it is hard to enjoy the little shops in Glendale. We wandered the town shops and bought a few trinkets then went to eat at the Whistle Stop. That is a VERY popular restaurant in Glendale. During Glendale days there is a line to get into the Whistle Stop 2 hours before it even opens. On a Wednesday at 1pm we only had a 45 minute wait. (Did I mention it was a popular restaurant?) We enjoyed a great lunch and finished off with a slice of Kentucky pie and a bowl of peach cobbler. YUMMY!

On Thursday we took Mom to Lincoln's birthplace. It was my 7th time going and Kelli's 5th time. I have been a lot but enjoy it every time.

Near where the "Boundary Oak" use to be

 

Mom walking down the steps at Lincoln's birthplace

 It was my first time going in the fall though and I got some really beautiful pictures. Then we drove up the rode to Lincoln's boyhood home. There is a picnic spot there were we ate lunch and then we sat on the bank of Knob Creek collecting rocks. It sounds a little weird but there really are some cool rocks. The rocks I like to collect are cylindrical with a hole on the center. They are 100% natural beads. Every time I visit Knob Creek I collect those rocks. Someday I will make jewelry out of them.

As we were leaving Knob Creek, Kelli suggested we walk around Hodgenville. That is the small town we drive through to get to Lincoln's birthplace and Knob Creek. In all the times I visited those places I have never gone into any of the little shops. There were some cute stores and a yummy sweet shoppe. They serve Bluebell ice cream and make their own fudge. It was really good. Then we went home and once again enjoyed a campfire. I love living at a campground and being able to have fires.


On Friday we had planned to take Mom hiking at a place in Etown. Unfortunately the rain decided to start and we had to shift our plans. Instead we went thrift store shopping. Mom loves to see what kind of treasures and deals she can find and I actually found quite a few myself. First we hit a regular Salvation Army and then we went to a place I had never been before, The Peddlers' Mall. It was HUGE and not at all what I was expecting. It is a place where they rent out a booth and people can bring whatever they want to sell. Some booths were very professional and "store" like while others looked like a garage sale. There was so much stuff to see and every time you turned a corner the place just seemed to get bigger and bigger. We actually only got about half way through the store before we decided we had enough shopping for the day. It was definitely a unique experience and I am almost glad it rained.

Lucy demanded to be held every morning. She will miss her grandma!

On the way home I stopped and bought another puzzle. We had so much fun putting together the first puzzle and with the weather turning cold I liked the idea of staying in and putting together another one. We worked on it that night and throughout the next day. That night I talked to Meric again and I didn't want Kelli and my mom doing the puzzle without me so I made them go to the Whistle Stop and get dessert. They ended up splitting a bowl of soup and a piece of sugar cream pie. They said both were delicious!

Saturday was my mom's last full day in Kentucky. We had fun working on our puzzle and also enjoyed the Halloween festivities at the campground. (More on Halloween in the next post.)

I love my mother!

I can't believe how quickly the trip went by. We had so much fun and I loved seeing my mom again. She liked the trailer. At first the bathroom scared her. Trailer bathrooms are VERY different than regular ones. By the second day though she decided she really liked my bathroom and the toilets would be great in the house because they use less water. Also we couldn't have asked for better weather. The first day she was here was cold (50s) and over cast. The next 5 days were warm (upper 70s) and sunny. Of course then it rained and turned cold again but even that was perfect.

All in all it was a great visit and I think my mom really enjoyed herself. I am glad she was able to come and I want to thank everyone in my family that made it possible for my mom to stay for so long. Can't wait to see them in December!