Bye Bye Bluegrass

If I ever did this project again (hahahahahaha) or better yet, if someone asked me for advice on how to do a similar project of their own, this week garnered a great nugget wisdom - when possible coincide major happenings in the state when you're learning about it.  As I mentioned earlier in the week I had no hand in Kentucky and the Derby falling at the same time but boy am I glad that they did!  It has been so much fun exploring Kentucky this week and then actually having the chance to watch it all play out yesterday.  The kids won't forget Kentucky anytime soon - they ended up remembering things during their pop quiz this morning that I wasn't even quizzing them on.  When your five year old pipes up with "But Mom, you forgot to ask us about Daniel Boone and the Cumberland Gap!" you must be doing something right.  (I mean, if it's your intention to teach them about crazy little factoids about the country they call home, that is...)

Unfortunately all good thing must come to an end and today we wrapped up Kentucky week with their pop quiz and one last Kentucky meal of Country-Fried Steak with Green Beans.  (The original recipe serves it with rice but considering how much rice we're set to eat next week with Louisiana I swapped it out for some garlic pasta, by the way).  Over dinner we talked about what we liked best about Kentucky, and just in case you were wondering...

Mikayla most liked wearing her hat.
Noah most liked watching the Derby and racing his own horse.
Grant most liked the Chocolate Mint Cookies (I swear his and Noah's eyes roll back in their heads just thinking about it...)
And me?  I loved watching them soak it all in.  I adored how creative they were with their jockeys.  I loved making my hat with Mikayla.  The cuisine has been fun, goofy names and all (who could forget burgoo or squambo??) And watching the race yesterday and listening to everyone cheer on their horse and actually know *what* they were cheering for and *why* it was significant made me smile.

In other news, impulsive Kristi struck this morning!  After breakfast (we used all the leftover biscuits to make a 'build your own' biscuit bar this morning - too fun!), our pop quiz and swapping out our Kentucky info for the pictures and letters for Louisiana Grant and the kids told me they had to leave on a secret mission.  Hmmm, wonder what that could be about.  With a few hours to myself I decided to hop on my bike (I was determined to get back on after my nasty spill last week) and go and cut off all my hair.  Not sure what struck me about this being a good idea, but I'm glad I listened to impulsive Kristi as I have a cute short new 'do for this Spring now.  It was past time (it drives me crazy when it gets too long and I end up just pulling it back all the time) and I feel loads lighter and even a bit perkier :-p

This afternoon as a reward for acing their pop quiz, Grant and I had seen that there was going to be a free showing of "The Wizard of Oz" at the Farmington Civic.  So while I stayed behind to get dinner on the table (a 4:20 movie, really??) when they returned my crew headed downtown and got to watch one of their new favorites on the big screen.  Grant reports that Mikayla still really doesn't like the Witch.  (She also told me when she got home at least a dozen times) Or the flying monkeys.

So bye bye Bluegrass, we're off tomorrow to the land of Cajuns, Creoles, Mardi Gras and some fabulous Dixieland jazz.  And the food!  Oh my gosh, I can't WAIT for the food!  So until then...

Kentucky Fun Fact of the Day:  Pike County the world's largest producer of coal is famous for the Hatfield-McCoy feud, an Appalachian vendetta that lasted from the Civil War to the 1890s.

On May the Fourth, "May the Fourth Be With You" - Daddy found Angry Birds Star Wars this morning as a treat

New Hair selfie!

Country Fried Steak and Green Beans