Day5 : When you Have a Historian as Your Tour Guide!

I was never a lover a history in school.  Just ask my high school American History teacher Mr. Newman!  Poor guy! But as as homeschooler, it became not only a necessity to convince my kids to love it, but to fall in love with it myself!

We began research on my husband's family about 5 years ago.  On and off we researched and really got lost in it.  It was amazing the things we discovered, but in case history isn't your thing, I will save you the details.  The problem was, the information available was sparse at best.  We had a lot of holes.

We did learn that his family was the original settlers of Lancaster, MA in the early 1600's.  My husband is a diligent man,  He researches and reads and researches some more. He decided once he had no more information available, he would call the town.  He got in touch with the president of the historical society and set up a day to meet with him on our trip.  Hence, day 5.

We were able to visit the grave sites of his family members that settle there and would never have found them if we didn't have help.  We found some amazing stories that surrounded them at the the time and the people that we met that day were so willing to help connect the missing pieces of our story.  

One such story was Thomas Sawyer.  His father was also Thomas Sawyer and was an original settler.  Thomas II was kidnapped by the Indians since this was at the time of the French and Indian War.  He was brought to Canada and was going to be killed.  He was rescued by a local missionary and in trade for his life, he had to build them a saw mill and get it up and functioning.  While he was there, he fell in love with an Indian maid.  When he was being released from capture, she gave him a plate.  He had promised to come back and marry her.  But his family convinced him to stay. He eventually married and had a family. But when he was dying, he made his children promise to keep the plate safe.  It was eventually turned over to the historical society fully intact.  We saw the plate!  They were so happy to show us since it was a direct descendant.  We felt like royalty because they were so excited for us to see everything.

As we left the cemetery that day, it was a little emotional for all of us.  We could finally lay to rest people in his family that were previously unknown.  In all these years, no one had known they were buried there,  This part of all the research had come to a close.

Needless to say, the trip was overwhelmingly historical.  It was also stock full of emotions.  It was really more than we could have envisioned when we began and just the tip of the iceberg.  

Day 4: What Did We Get Ourselves Into?

For the love of all that's holy, why would we plan a 14 hour drive??  I could not tell you.  But we did. Question is, did we make it?

Another early start. But the kids were so excited to get to Massachusetts, they didn't seem to care!

In regard to my state lines endeavor...

I suck.  SUCK! at taking pictures of the state line. But at least it makes for a good story on a 14 hour drive.  

We did make it.  In fact, what was a 13 hour drive plus stops and eating only took us 14 hours!  We are pros at stopping on the road.  We actually ate turkey wraps in the parking lot at a bank near WaWa!  

We watched movies and did more journal stuff.  But mainly we hung on tight for the longest drive of the trip!  We arrived late at night so more pictures to follow.

By the way, I am discovering I get slightly carsick trying to crochet on long car rides.  So, I am still not done with some projects.

Take a look at Day 1 and Day 2!

Day 2-3: Apex, NC and Cousin Time

We stayed in Apex for the first 2 nights.  I got to visit my brand new baby cousin Emmet.

Emmet was the inspiration behind my adoption project.  I truly enjoyed this project and after the holidays, I will be trying to do this again!  Thanks #EmmetAnthony for your inspiration!

We visited the downtown Apex area and had an amazing lunch as well as fitting in a visit to the firs station as any good homeschool student should!

And how could we visit any town that has a train depot and not visit!  Duh!  Plus, this is a picture we have taken already so we had to replicate.

My cousin and I have never lived in the same state.  We try to see each other every year.  She has been a huge inspiration along with her son Emmet, in my crochet business.  We share a grandmother that was particularly amazing at crochet as well.  I am so grateful for her and my friendship with her!

Check out Day 1 post to catch up!

Day 1: Two Adults, Three Kids, and 10 Hours

We started the day at 6:30 with one of our shortest drives...10 hours.  Sleepy eyes, smiling faces, and hope floats!

The goal for this drive was I was going take a picture at every state line.  Stay tuned to see my...successes?

Us...being nerdy!

The drive is about 9 hours plus stop time.  Considering we have a 3-yr-old, we anticipated taking a lot longer.  But with stops, we made it to our first stop, my cousin's house in Apex, NC, in 10 hours!  The kids worked on their travel journals.  The oldest finished every activity in the journal in about 2 hours.  The middle child kept asking if she had to do any more "school"!

I, on the other had, was finishing the gift for my brand new baby cousin Emmet #emmetanthony. Stop over to my FaceBook to see this adorable video of his gift!

So Day 1 was completed with no incidents and everyone made it in ONE piece and really happy!

Stay tuned for more adventure!

5 things we have done to prepare for our trip

Let me start of with this.  I have 3 kids, I work at home, and of course, I run my crochet business.  I have more to do in a day than I ever have since I have been a mom which means getting ready for a trip just means I took on another full-time job.  But let me tell you, this stuff will be well worth it in the weeks to come!

We are in prep mode this week.  I am bound and determined to be totally prepared to leave by tomorrow.  Well, of course not the essentials that we can't put in the suitcases until the day we leave.  But knowing me and my weaknesses, planning is absolutely the key.  Anyone who knows me, knows I am a naturally forgetful, so lists are imperative.

1.  PLAN AHEAD!  
We have traveled a LOT!!  But it never fails that I forget things, including ideas that I had for activities in the car or along the way.  This time, we have travel journals. My older 2 children and I are keeping journals with packing lists, ideas for the car, maps, and it will serve as a place to journal what we have been doing, keep pamphlets we get from places we visit, draw as we drive, plan for what we will be doing on certain legs of the trip, scavenger hunts, puzzle gmaes, and for me, grocery lists.  We are staying in Air bnb homes.  If you have never stayed in one while traveling, you MUST check it out.  These homes have kitchens so we will be cooking our meals and eating at home.  This means planning meals!  It is a way for us to save money on a really long trip.

2.  CLEAN OUT THE CLOSETS!
My mom is always wanting tasks and projects.  She wants to be busy and menial jobs just don't cut it.  My parents recently moved nearby and she must have things to do.  So I took her up on this and had her help clean out the old clothes from the kids' dressers and closets.  In doing this, she was able to set aside all the things I want them to pack!  My oldest is capable all on her own to so this and she was a champ.  My middle helped out grandma and this is her happy place as well so she and grandma were like two peas in a pod with this project.  My littlest?  Well, if you are close to my age, The Taz may give you a good image of how much help he was!  Now we will be leaving our house organized.  We are planning to do laundry on our trip as well so we so not need to pack as much and BONUS...we come home with clean clothes!

3.  CLEAN THE HOUSE AND DO THE SHEETS!
Nothing says home like coming back from a long trip.  "There's no place like home" after you've been gone for a while.  But who wants to come home to a dirty house and old sheets.  I always wait until the day before the trip to wash every one's sheets and I also make sure there is no additional laundry to do when we get back by washing every last piece that's there.  This time, I have been on top of laundry so much this week, that I have been doing small loads several times a day just to make sure nothing gets left behind.  Plus small loads are more manageable when there are 5 people in the house.  We have been ripping rooms apart so deep cleaning has been all the rage!  Everyone is participating.  We will walk into a clean and organized house which will be perfect for getting back to life as usual upon our return.

4.  CAR MAINTENANCE
We took the car in for oil change, brakes, tires and a nice detail.  Seriously important since we don't want to lose time on our trip for an unexpected break down due to lack of maintenance.  The detail was for my own mental maintenance.  Three kiddos in my car everyday is hard to keep clean...and if you're reading this, there is probably no explanation needed!  Each kid sets up their own "living quarters" if you will.  They set up their own back pack with their own stuff with a pillow and  blanket.  This gives them room so they are not on top of each other while we are on the long trips!

5.  ELECTRONICS/CHARGERS and APPS!
There will be a point eventually where we need some downtime while driving.  There is so much adventure to be had along the way that I have no issues while we are driving if they play on ipads or watch movies.  MUST.  HAVE.  CHARGERS!!!  Also, we have some apps installed on our phones to help with things in the area.  Yelp is a good one.  There are some others as well.  But if you're in a strange area and you are looking for something specific, or maybe you are interested in a side trip that's local to you, these apps can use your location to help you find specific places and activities.

An intense amount goes into planning for a road trip.  Especially a long one.  When you are taking kids or just multiple people with you, it can be challenging to make sure everyone needs are met.  It is a MUST to have everyone participate in planning and packing so everyone has a say.

I, on the other hand, will be bringing my crochet.  My husband is professional stunt driver, so I will be doing NADA of driving.  Crochet is a must.  I can still talk to him and be entertained!  I am looking forward to this trip so much!!  Onto the next stage of prepping and packing!

How do you prep a family of 5 for a sixteen day road trip?

This is the week!  We are preparing for the big Rise n Shine road trip.

We are prepping for packing.  I mean, a family of 5 and really, I am packing for 4 of us!  First up, going through dressers and closets because, let's be honest, we live in Florida.  We see warm clothes about one month of the year.  And that being said, I have no clue what is stuffed inside my kids' closets.  I'm calling in reinforcements...Mom to the rescue!

Now, considering I am a crocheter, you know I am planning to pack my yarn.  So that needs some careful consideration as well.  I can't just bring yarn without a plan of what I will be using it for.  I am finishing the last of my orders as we speak and then I can dive back into the stash of patterns I have kept for the day when I was all caught up!  Today may possibly be that day!

We are also planning our trip around homeschooling.  This means planning the schoolwork that everyone will be working on.  I have given the elder 2 a travel journal in which they will be journaling our adventures and putting maps and brochures in.  It doesn't hurt that we have gel pens!  Who doesn't love a good gel pen?  We also utilized out AAA membership for trip tics and  maps.  When you couple trip tics and maps with highlighters and sharpie markers, it makes for some fun games and research while driving!

Not sure how this is all going to fit in the car just yet, but I suppose that is another blog all on its own!

What are some tips you have for travel to multiple states,multiple houses, and long days in the car?  I am curious what everyone else does!

Dragon Scale Gauntlets

I got to be a pattern tester for one of the coolest looking fingerless gloves ever!!

I have always loved the crocodile stitch and these gloves look like dragon scales.  I was so excited to try it out.  We worked out a few kinks.  I am definitely not the "re-invent the wheel" type so I was happy to have someone else figure it out and get the benefit of it.

You must check out the pattern if you are a crocheter!

I am offering these to the first 2 buyers at $15 and then after that, they go to $20.  Visit my FaceBook to order.  I am absolutely making these as gifts for Christmas.

Let me know what YOU think!

Rise N Shine Crochet is Road Tripping!

Homeschoolers.  Work-at-Homers.

We are taking to the road!  We will be working and homeschooling from the road too!  You must tune in and follow our journey.  We will be YouTubing and Blogging our way through the entire trip.  Be sure to subscribe so you get all the updates!  Also, check out my FaceBook for some live video!

This is going to be EPIC I tell you.  We are going from Central Florida, up the coast all the way to Massachusetts and back down through Virginia.  I am beyond excited and can't wait to share the craziness.  There will be some side-tripping, some off-roading, some hiking, and a LOT of history.

Watch as we teach and work from the road.  Interact with us and keep up with our journey as  Rise N Shine Crochet goes Roadtrippin!

Coming to a blog near you in October!

Adoption Project 2 - The Very Hungry Caterpillar

This round of adoption stories touched me in a way I never though possible.  To be honest, I really wasn't thinking about how the stories would affect me when I started.  I just knew I had a desire to serve families of adoption.  I already know a lot of stories of adoption and even several close to home.  But to get down and deep with people I don't even know and actually feel so intensely for what they were experiencing was way bigger than I anticipated.

This brings me to the second family's story.  They are still awaiting their match; their baby!  When they were choosing, they wanted something gender neutral because they don't know what they're having yet.  So they chose The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  I had been wanting to make this for so long, but with other orders and projects, I had not had a chance. I was thrilled to get to make this one!!  

Check out the rest of the stories.  If you are someone you know are adopting, please email your story to me at risenshinecrochet@gmail.com.

Adoption Service Project - How I am the One Who is Blessed

When I began this project, I had no idea how it would affect me. I really feel like I am on cloud 9! This has been an incredible experience so far and the idea that it is only going to get bigger and better thrills me to no end.

If you haven't been following this story, you can go back and see the stories and the reveal of the first family that participated.

I have already completed the project for the second family and I will be going live on my FaceBook to reveal the project that I will be sending to them.  I was going to do a blog to show what they chose, but I kind of like the surprise factor.  So we're going with that.

This family is still in their waiting period.  I feel very partial to this story since my cousin is adopting and they also are in this stage.  I know how hard it has been to wait for that perfect match; THEIR baby.  I love their story and feel so privileged to be part of it.

Stay tuned for the big reveal! Know someone who is adopting and want to refer them to me? Email me at risenshinecrochet@gmail.com.

What Happens When You're Offered a Choice of ANY Item You Want

As you may already know, I have been working on a service project for families that are adopting or fostering.  Check out my blog on this project.  And be sure to watch the stories that came in after my announcement!

I had a huge surprise with the first family and so I had to get to work.  But I had a minor mishap when ordering the yarn.  They made a mistake that set me back about a week and a half.  They were quick to rectify it...and by rectify, I mean they refunded my money completely and Express shipped it to me!!!!  So here I am in the middle of a service project and I received the yarn for 2 of the families totally FREE!!!

I got to work quickly once the yarn arrived.

 In no time at all, the hat was ready to be transformed into the Sly Fox!

This little fox and I now have a special bond.  He is ready to go.

I will be sending him off today! Visit me on FaceBook to see my Live reveal and see the new Momma's reaction!!  I feel so unbelievably blessed by this project and I cannot wait to see where it takes me.

If you, or someone you know is adopting or has adopted and would like to submit a story, please email me at risenshinecrochet@gmail.com.  I will be taking on new projects soon so please spread the word.

See What a Surprise I got in My Email

One of the families has emailed me back with the most amazing news!

Their baby was born June 6, 2 months early, and the birth mom has already signed the papers.  They have a brand new baby boy!!!

She has chosen a baby fox and diaper cover set!  I have chosen to combine patterns.  I liked the Sly as a Fox hat better but I am using the Croby Patterns diaper cover.  I am really excited to make this set. 

I will post pictures as I make it.  Congratulations!!!!