1 Family x 12 (June)

Our family photo for June!  It was hard to pick for this month.  Vacation brought lots of opportunities for us to get together and smile for the camera.  But, I picked this one because Hazel's face makes me laugh and I just can't help but loving this one!

Kentucky Camping Part 2 - Cumberland Gap

Monday we packed up camp and drove about 3 hours east to the Cumberland Gap.  The Cumberland Gap is the area pioneers crossed through the mountains as they moved westward.  While in the Cumberland Gap we camped right within the National Park at a campground called the Wilderness Road Campground.  It was by far the riskiest camping we've ever done because this campground did not accept reservations.  It's first come first serve for 44 electric sites and 90 some non-electric sites. 

Knowing we would be 10+ hours away from home without a for sure place to stop, I planned the trip so we'd arrive on a Monday figuring of all days, that would probably be the least busy for the week.  I was right and I had nothing to worry about!  There were probably less than 20 campers in the entire park when we arrived Monday afternoon.  We basically had the place to ourselves!  It was another great campground.  We spent Monday getting our bearing straight and figuring out where things were an what we'd want to do in the area.  And, we made a stop at the gift shop so we could stamp our National Park books and the kids could pester us about stuffed animals and other souvenirs they NEEDED!

Tuesday we hiked to the Cumberland Gap, went to Pinnacle Outlook, and a few other sites/hikes in the area.  One of the most interesting things about visiting the Cumberland Gap (at least for me) was how they presented information and kept people engaged at the visitors centers and signs.  At the Gap they poured concrete on the sidewalks and under a bridge.  While the concrete was still wet they used horse shoes, kids bare feet, adult shoes, dog foot prints and wagon wheel ruts to create the image of people passing through.  Then while you stood under the bridge reading signs that talked about the area, the people and how the Gap came to be formed and used they even piped in sounds of people and animals crossing around you.  If you closed your eyes you could imagine yourself picking up your family and all of your belongings and moving across the country through this very spot.  It was eerie and cool at the same time!

The Cumberland Gap is actually located in the very corner of Kentucky and from the Pinnacle Overlook you can see three states, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.  One bonus of the campground we picked is that it was actually located in Virginia meaning during this trip we got to knock off THREE stamps in our National Passport books and TWO states on the side of our camper.  See...I told you I was motivated by stickers.  We have a map of the US on the side of our camper and we fill in the states we've camped in.  Our rule is that in order to put a new sticker on we must sleep in the camper in the state.  So, that means we can't just drive through...and we can't count states we haven't camped in.  Living by those rules it sure will be hard for us to check off places like Hawaii and Alaska but it gives us something to dream about!

The Overlook (above) was really pretty cool.  There was a switchback road that weaved us back and forth up the side of the mountain to get to the top.  Once up there you could see all three states and a big tunnel we drove through.  The tunnel was constructed in the 90's to help preserve the Gap and to more efficiently move traffic through the area.  The tunnel was about a mile long and the kids really enjoyed the novelty of driving through it.

Tuesday, our final day in the Gap was rainy and cool in the morning.  We used the opportunity to go to Walmart and stock up on things we needed for the remainder of the trip.  Which, included Hazel's birthday present, a BIG GIRL BIKE!!!  Ryan decided that the summer of 2019 would be the summer Abby learned to ride her bike without training wheels.  Ever since the summer of her 4th birthday when Abby rolled down a slight incline for about 10 feet before bumping into a fence, Abby has been terrified of riding her bike.  Last summer we had a glimmer of hope when she'd at least TRY getting on and riding.  But 2019 is the year.  So, as most things go with Hazel, as soon as Abby's doing it, she wants to too.  So, enter a big kid bike for Fran.  And, boy let me tell you what!  I honestly thing she'll be riding without training wheels this summer too.  In fact, she might actually beat Abby to it, which, I can't tell if that will motivate Abby, or piss her off!  HAHAH!

I can't believe I don't have any pictures of Abby on her bike!  I have videos but those don't upload well her and they definitely don't print out on the blog.  So...I'll just tell you about it.  While in the Cumberland Gap I'd say that Abby had her first real breakthrough with riding.  After Ryan ran beside her for countless tries, and lots of shrieks and screams, along with the promise of $20 from both me AND my Dad, I think she might finally have broken through her fears.  She certainly isn't itching to ride, and every time we ask her to try there is lots of whining and concern, but just a few days ago she rode without Ryan holding her through the grass in the backyard.  I think I'll forever remember the Cumberland Gap as the place Abby learned to ride a bike.

Kentucky Camping Part 1 - Mammoth Cave Area

We're fresh off the heels of vacation and while I'm often SLOW to get pictures uploaded and then downloaded and stories written, I'm going to try to get these most recent posts out in a timely manner!  First up, Mammoth Cave.  Or, maybe I should back up...to how we landed on Kentucky in the first place.

It seems like we've gotten into a rhythm of sorts with vacations.  One year we do a big flying trip where we end up staying in a hotel or AirBnB and the next we haul the camper on a long road trip.  Last year was the Outer Banks with the Ritterbusch family (we drove....but we didn't camp) so this year camping was up!  We first started talking with our camper friends back in the fall of last year feeling out who would be up for a big road trip and where we'd want to try to go.  I decided that 8 hours was the general circumference around Chicago that we'd be willing to drive so I grabbed a map and did some research.  We had three options.  Back to the UP/Northern Wisconsin (we always love it there and can always find new places to explore), Missouri (to visit the Ozarks and some Little House on the Prairie sites, or Kentucky.  Liz and Bobby decided they were up for a big week long camping trip so we landed on Kentucky (closer to home for them) and I started planning.

There were three main areas we decided to stay.  After years of doing this long trips I've figured out a formula that works for us.  Schedule enough spots to keep things interesting and get a feel for the area but be sure to stay in one spot long enough to really get to explore and not feel like your days revolve around driving and setting up/tearing down.  So, for us, 9 days and 3 stops works out to be just about perfect.  The three areas we decided on were Mammoth Cave, the Cumberland Gap and Red River Gorge.  It would be a lie to say that the fact that Mammoth Cave and the Cumberland Gap being National Parks/Historic areas didn't fuel our travel plans.  Last year when we were in the Outer Banks we bought a National Parks stamp book and we've been on a stamp collecting mission ever since :)

Anyways...back to our trip.  Up first was Mammoth Cave.  Ryan, the kids and I all loaded up early on Friday  morning (about 6 am) and we made the 8 hour drive down to Mammoth Cave.  My parents joined us a few hours later (hot on the heels of their own 3 week camping trip out east), and Liz and Bobby joined that same night too.  For once the McGrath's were the first ones there and welcoming the rest of the group with cold beers and food (this never happens....we're always coming in HOT at the last minute).

We didn't stay right within the national park - all of the camp sites there are non-electric and we preferred to have all of our creature comforts.  We're camping but we're NOT roughing it!  We made a smoked ham and ribs for god's sake.  We were NOT roughing it!  I found a state campground about 20 minutes away (thanks to a ferry...more on that later)....called Nolin Lake that turned out to be perfect.  It was quiet, not crowded, close to the park and had electric sites.  Long story short...it fit the bill so I booked it for 3 nights.

Saturday morning we got up, ate a quick breakfast and figured we'd get on the road to find the park.  As with all our camping trips, directions, GPS and cell service always seem to be a trouble so at least at this point I know to plan that things will take longer than they should.  The night before Ryan and I read a sign in the park that said there was a ferry nearby but that cars over 16 feet wouldn't be allowed on.  All three of our vehicle are longer than that so we figured we'd need to avoid the ferry (wherever it was...).  Well, I wasn't the least bit surprised when the GPS pointed us STRAIGHT to the ferry.  This isn't the first time it's sent us on one!  (STUPID THING!)  Anyways, we figured we were committed by the time we figured that out so we continued on the route it gave us and we were so happy to find out that we didn't have a single issue with the ferry whatsoever.  It was an interesting setup...just a small flat boat of sorts, long enough to fit two cars that went across a relatively small river.  Why they just didn't build a bridge is beyond me...but who am I to say!  We didn't even have to wait in line!  Two trips back and forth and our three cars were across and ready to explore the park.

Luckily somewhere along the way I found out that you need to book your tour of the cave far in advance.  Most tours are fully booked day of so booking in advance is a must if you ever want to visit.  We picked a short enough and easy enough tour that the kids could come to.  It was called Domes and Drip stones (there are probably 30 tours to choose from) and lasted about 2.5 hours.  That was about as long as the kids attention lasted anyways and distance wise it was perfect.  Under 1.5 miles if I remember right.  If we didn't have the kids with us we might have tried some of the longer, more adventurous tours, but this one worked out perfect for us.

The cave was really interesting to explore and we all learned a lot.  Mammoth Cave is named that because it's the largest cave system in the world!  Over 500 miles of cave all within 7 square miles of space.  Inside (at least on our tour) it was really well lit so you could admire all of the cool formations of the cave and we learned that the railings and stairs within were built in the 80's!  I'll skip the rest of the history, I'm sure you can read about it on millions of websites but the McGrath's give the cave and tours 2 thumbs up (even for little kids).

Turns out Liz accepted a new job just a few weeks before our trip.  Our original plan was that they'd be with us for the full week but because Liz didn't have a lot of vacation time accrued yet they ended up leave on Sunday morning and we spent the next leg of the trip with my parents.  Liz and Bobby joined on the last leg the following weekend (so you'll see more of them in later posts!).

Sunday we took a small drive north to visit the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln.  Thankfully my Dad spotted the third and final stamp possibility in our National Park book and we were less than an hour away so we made a side trip (unplanned) to check another stamp off the list!  I love a good list!!  And a sticker...who doesn't love getting a sticker?!?!

This is one of my favorite pictures from the whole trip!  Man I love these people so dang much!!!

It's funny because if we weren't on this new found quest for stamps and stickers I can pretty much guarantee that we'd have never known this place existed and we'd likely have never made the journey...but I'm glad we did!  In the 90's (if I remember right) the state of Kentucky built this huge monument on the birth site of Abraham Lincoln.  Inside it stands a replica of the house he may (or may not) have grown up in.  HA!  They weren't totally definitive about that part.

The last thing we did while in the Mammoth Cave area was visit a brewery in Elizabeth's town called Flywheel.  I don't have any pictures of that, so I'll leave you with some cute pictures of Hazel instead!  Up next, our adventures in the Cumberland Gap!

OH!  The bugs!  So, probably the thing that surprised us the MOST about camping in Kentucky was the lack of bugs.  There wasn't a single mosquito the entire trip!  If you're from around here, you know that the mosquitoes basically eat you alive here from June through October...so it sure was nice to be bug free.  In fact, we got so used to it that we often just left the doors to the camper wide open while we were around.  Who needs screens if there are no bug!  But, you know what they did have?  Lightening bugs, inch worms, snakes, worms, minnows, crayfish and all sorts of crawlies that the kids surprisingly loved!

Baby Murphy-Blair: Quilt

When I came across this fabric I just knew I'd have to make it into a cute baby girl quilt.  In fact, I bought the fabric without even having a baby in mind!  I knew I'd use it up eventually.  Enter Baby XXXX.

I started with simple 5 inch blocks and originally planned to just line them up and piece them together, but after I had it all laid out I got the genius idea to try turning them on point.  I couldn't help myself...it was too cute to resist.  The down side of running them on point is that the finished quit ended up much smaller this way (more waste at the edges).  But at nearly 50x50 its still a great size for a baby blanket.

The other great thing about a quilt this size is how quickly it can come together.  I cut, planned and pieced this entire quilt in one (cold/rainy/sleety) Saturday in May - yep, you read that correctly!  SLEET...in May.  It was highly depressing, but this fun fabric helped bring some much needed color and brightness into my Saturday.

After sending it off to be quilted, I loved it even more!  From there it's a pretty fast process to finish it up.  Just binding and adding the label and you're all finished!  I was able to get it off in the mail and to Jenny and Jack before baby Juno was even here!

Yep - Jenny and Jack welcomed sweet baby Juno while we were camping in Kentucky this past weekend.  I started the blog post and pictures before sending the quilt off the the quilted but didn't want to post anything until they'd received the gift.  Through the magic of time lapse I started a quilt in May, posted about it in June and between that time, a baby was born!  HAHA!

Anyways, I hope baby Juno loves this just as much as I do and I hope she gets many great years of snuggles and love into it!

Knit animals for new babies

You know, my knitting never gets it's fair share of "air time" on my blog.  For some reason, since I started quilting, the knitting has fallen off the radar.  But, that doesn't mean I haven't been making things!  In fact, the announcement that Ryan's friend Christine, from college, was having TWIN BOYS really kicked me into high gear! 

I knew it would be a stretch to try and get two quilts out the door before the babies came, but knit animals, those I could do!  Aren't these two little guys sweet?  I sort of forgot how fun these guys were to knit.  Joey bought me a book of knit animal patterns LONG ago!  Like, maybe before Abby was born?  Anyways, they are fun because they are made up of lots of small pieces.  I could usually knit a piece or two a night so it feel like you are making progress and they come together pretty quickly.

But - I have to say - I will NEVER AGAIN make anything that uses "loopy stitch".  That's the stitch that made the lion's mane.  It's adorable, and totally makes the animal.  But it was the biggest pain in the you know what.  I think I gave myself carpel tunnel trying to get that dang thing done!

A Tree for Ellyn

Mother's Day this year was a little harder than we all expected - but we're so thankful we had all of these special people around to help make it a little easier.  We planted this beautiful flowering tree facing the lake in Ellyn's memory.  This way she'll always be there, watching over us, making sure we're all safe and happy.

To say that she was missed on this day, is an understatement.  She will never be forgotten.

Easter 2019

Easter was late this year and I"m so glad it was finally nice out!!!  This is the first time the Easter bunny has been able to do the egg hunt outside!  Like, first time in SIX years!  (I know because it's Abby's sixth Easter).  It was sunny, and warm and Grammy even got these sweet girls Easter dresses and little bonnets to wear for church.  Be still my heart!

I mean, come on!  Look at that good looking family!

We had such a nice Easter weekend at home!  We cut a load of wood, ate a delicious ham and mom made the fanciest drinks from Proseco and strained strawberry pulp?  Is that what you call it?  I don't know, but whatever it is, it was dang good! 

Oh, and I almost forgot.  We left Freeport early afternoon on Sunday to head home and move all of the furniture out of two bedrooms and pull up the old carpet.  We had new carpet coming the following morning so we had plenty to do to get ready for them.  About 30 minutes after we pulled into the driveway Mom and Dad followed...they drove over to help!  It sure was a much appreciated (and much needed) Easter surprise!