Ashland - Henry Clay's Estate - Field Trip

We went to see Ashland the Henry Clay estate in Lexington with our homeschool co-op group.  It's a beautiful home and obviously doesn't allow photography inside.  Of all of the places that we've gone to on field trips, this house had more original family pieces than any other's we've been to.

We learned a lot about Henry Clay as well.  Two things that stood out above everything else is that he was a gambler and he drank. :(

 

The gardens in the back were gorgeous!

 We went with Nina, Sissy, and Eli! 

It was a beautiful day and we ate at Cheddar's on our way home!

4-H Communication Demonstration Competition

Anna recently participated in a 4-H Competition!  It was actually a demonstration competition and she demonstrated how to properly pack a purse. :)

 She drew two different poster boards.  One with the different styles of bags you can choose from and the other one had the items that she packed in her purse.

 She did a great job and we were so proud of her! 

And she won 1st place in her category!!!

She got some cool ribbons and $50 cash!!!

She has already invested her money in a sewing machine. :)

She has the chance to go to the state competition, but she hasn't decided for sure if that is what she wants to do.

Good job Anna!!!

Ruth Hunt Candy Field Trip - Home of the Blue Mondays!

Back in January (just a little behind:) we went on a field trip with our homeschool co-op group to Mt. Sterling, KY to the Ruth Hunt Candy factory and store.  It was a very neat and yummy experience!

We got to go behind the scenes and see how they make their famous Blue Monday candies!  We even got to sample some of their delicious treats.

SUGAR!!!

I'll let the pictures tell the rest:

 

  

  

  

 This lady was doing all of their molded chocolate.

 

   We got to sample some caramel covered marshmallows.  

YUM!

It was a great day and one of our most favorite field trips ever!

Haha!  I wonder why?!

First Day of School - Tree of Life Homeschool

We began our school year on August 27th!  Anna is in the 8th grade and Holly is in the 5th.  Seriously, where did the time go?!

Brian and the girls went that morning to pick up breakfast to kick start our school year off right! :)

This year to make things a little more interesting we have decided to go Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to the office where I work on Fridays to do school.  The couple I work for didn't mind and it motivates us to get up and get out!  We just finished our second week and we absolutely love it!  We have zero distractions and we can concentrate on getting our work done.  Beginning this week we'll be going to our new co-op on Thursdays, so we're planning on staying home on Thursday mornings and doing a few subjects.

And just to take a little trip down memory lane, here are a few pics from years past.......

2008

Anna - 4th grade, Holly - 1st grade

2009

Anna - 5th grade, Holly - 2nd grade

2010

Anna - 6th grade, Holly - 3rd grade

2011

Anna - 7th grade, Holly - 4th grade

2012
Anna - 8th grade, Holly - 5th grade

3 John 1:4
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."

Battle of Richmond Reenactment - 150th Anniversary

The girls participated in the reenactment at the Battle of Richmond's 150th anniversary a few weeks ago.  They always have a great time and this year they had to get new dresses because they are growing so fast!  We also started school a couple of weeks ago and that post will be coming soon.

Here are some pics from the reenactment:

 The pictures above and below are two of my favorites!

 We stopped by to show Papaw and Granny the girls' new dresses!

 Then we went home and took some silly pics! :)