There's No Place Like Home in Kentucky

Where have I been?

kmcdonald — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:09:10 +0000

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve updated my blog here. I’m sorry!! I’ve got a good excuse (well at least a decent excuse anway), promise.

In August of this year, my husband and I found out that we are expecting child #2 in April. We’re very excited about a new baby in the house; though, admittedly, we’re a little apprehensive too. Our first child is 6 1/2 yrs old, so it’s been a while since we’ve done this. But, we’re up to the challenge.

Anyway, needless to say (I hope), I’ve been a little exhausted and trying to spend as much time as I can resting and enjoying my pregnancy. I hope you all haven’t missed me too much!

We find out on December 3rd what the baby will be. My daughter is hoping for a little boy because a friend of ours has promised to buy her an ice cream cone if she has a little brother (nothing for a little girl – LOL!). Oh, the days when I could be bought for the cost of an ice cream cone!

Anyway, I’ll keep you all updated on how things progress and what the baby will be once we find out.

As for the real estate side of things, my Semonin office in Oldham County is closing it’s doors on Dec. 31, 2008. That means that I’ll be based out of the Semonin office off of Brownsboro Road sometime in the near future. I’m looking forward to getting to know some new faces though and seeing my fellow agents from the Oldham County office at the new location.

How was your first day of school?

kmcdonald — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:18:03 +0000

Today was the first day of school for Oldham County Schools, and we had a great first day (so far!). The PTA arranged to have a safari theme set up for the kids to walk through. We had plants donated by LaGrange Florist, animals, balloons, and some awesome volunteers there to help us greet the children as they arrived at their brand new school this morning. Each child received a Locust Grove Elementary School book mark to “mark” the occassion, and WLKY Channel 32 News was there too!

In addition to the opening day safari, we were also able to provide each classroom with a bag of balls, sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, and frisbes (courtesy of Cash Express). We wanted to give the kids a little something extra on the first day since there is no play ground yet, and the gym isn’t ready.

As the PTA VP of Programs, thanks so much to my Opening Day Volunteers. You guys did a fantastic job coordinating the Opening Day events. The school looked great this morning!

Update on Locust Grove Elementary School Registration & Open House

kmcdonald — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:22:54 +0000

Hey everyone! Can you believe that school is just about ready to start? I can hardly believe it!

I just wanted to post a quick update about Registration and Open House for the new Locust Grove Elementary School. Registration Day for Locust Grove is tomorrow, July 31 from 8:00 AM – 7:30 PM at East Oldham Middle School. If you’ve never been to East Oldham Middle School, it’s right off of Hwy 22 about 5 miles down the road from Hwy 53 if you are coming from LaGrange. I’ll be working the registration tables from 8-10 tomorrow morning, say hi if you get a chance!

Open House for Locust Grove Elementary School has been CANCELLED! Due to the construction schedule, the school has decided to cancel the Open House AND the GAP (get acquainted program) for Kindergarteners and 1st Graders.

I’ll try to keep this site updated as we get closer if anything changes.

I’ve Joined A Group on Flickr – 365 Tweeters

kmcdonald — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:15:53 +0000

A few days ago, I joined a group on Flickr (a photo hosting website) called 365 Tweeters. It’s a really fun project that was started by some folks on Twitter.com. The whole idea of the group is for a bunch of folks form Twitter to get together and do a daily photo diary every day for a year (hence the 365 in the title). Every day, we go out, take photos of the local area or other things that interest us and post them to this group for everyone to see.

If you are interested in seeing how my photo journal progresses, you can follow along here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13316415@N05/sets/72157606363931154/

If you are interested in watching how the whole group unfolds, you can follow us here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/365tweeters/

I am hoping to provide you with a great photographic overview of Louisville and Oldham County (and maybe some of the outlying areas) over the next 365 days! I hope you’ll follow along! If you have any ideas of photos you would like to see – I’m sure by about day 100 I’m going to be looking for ideas – send ‘em my way!

Locust Grove Elementary School, La Grange, KY

kmcdonald — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:22:28 +0000

Can you believe that Summer Vacation is almost half over? It’s hard to believe that in about a month and a half school will start again. If you’re going to the new Locust Grove Elementary School, you’re probably even more excited (or nervous), because the school is brand spankin’ new, and there are questions about whether it will be ready in time or not.

According to the Principal, Mrs. Arnold, the school will be open and ready for children on the first day. Some of the areas may not be ready for use, but the class rooms will be ready.

Registration Day for all students at the new Locust Grove Elementary School is scheduled for July 31 beginning at 9:00 a.m. (I believe that this is probably going to take place at the Middle School next door?)

Open House is tentatively scheduled for August 7.

These dates are tentative and could change. Keep up to date with what’s going on at Locust Grove through their website.

Looking for a local Thai Restaurant

kmcdonald — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:15:20 +0000

I love Thai food, it’s a weekness. I also love Indian food – If you’ve never tried it, you should. Granted, I must say that the first time I tried Indian food, I wasn’t a fan. But there is something in the food (I swear there is), that makes you crave it. When I left Shalimars (my favorite restaurant) the first time I was there, I wasn’t planning on going back; but over the weeks I started to crave it, so I tried it “just one more time” and have been hooked ever since. Now I go whenever I can.

My love of Thai food worked in a similar way. The regular restaurant that I went to closed a few years ago, and now if I want to get good Thai food, I have to drive to Southern Indiana to get it. My quest is to find a great Thai Restaurant in Louisville. If you know of one, please let me know!! If you’re thinking of opening one – I’d love it if it were in the East End (hint! hint!).

Photo Tour of Downtown LaGrange, KY

kmcdonald — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:21:31 +0000

This past weekend I went to Arts on the Green in Downtown LaGrange, KY. Artist from around the state set up booths around the center of town near the court house and people can browse and shop. If you’re familiar with the St. James Art Show in Louisville very year, it’s a whole lot like that only on a smaller scale. The farmer’s market was even there selling plants, jams, and other tasty treats!

I took some pictures while I was there with my family – your tour of LaGrange is below. Enjoy!

Arts on the Green

Check out that amazing sculpture!

Do some shopping and grab a bite to eat while you’re here.

Where Can I Find The Cheapest Gas Prices?

kmcdonald — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:20:20 +0000

I’ve been asking myself this same question! I can hardly believe that gas is hovering around $4/gallon. It hurts just to think about it. Anywhere, there are many websites floating around now that offer a list of the gas stations in your area and what the price of gas is. You may not save a lot, but 2 or 3 cents per gallon adds up over time. Here are a couple of my favorite cheap gas websites.

GasBuddy.com
http://www.motortrend.com/gas_prices/index.html

Kelly McDonald, Realtor®
Semonin Realtors
www.KellySellsKY.com

So Close to $4.00 per Gallon

kmcdonald — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:21:28 +0000

I was out driving in La Grange, KY this afternoon around lunch time and I saw it – a gas station with $3.95 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline (the Chevron at the corner of Crystal & Hwy 53). We’re so close to $4.00 – I bet we see it next week. I just can’t even imagine!

What are you doing to help with the gas pinch (and the grocery pinch – those prices are skyrocketing too!)? Share your tips and later I’ll post with all of our tips for saving a few bucks!

Kelly McDonald, Realtor®
Semonin Realtors
www.KellySellsKY.com

How about that Earthquake, Kentucky?

kmcdonald — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:25:31 +0000

OK, so the earthquake was actually centered in southern Illinois. I don’t know about you, but I felt it quite well in my little LaGrange, KY home. My husband and I woke up to a shaking house and a bed that felt like we had just dropped a quarter into one of those old (and a little questionable) hotel beds!

Now, if you are from out west where earthquakes are common – you have to remember that like a foot of snow in the winter, earthquakes just don’t happen all that frequently here in the midwest (they probably happen just as frequently as a foot of snow!). People here get a little nervous when things out of the “norm” tend to occur.

Anyway, in the spirit of education, here is a link to the American Red Cross site on Earthquake preparedness. I use to be a girl scout, so you know, you can never be too prepared!

Another thing to take into consideration is earthquake insurance on your home. Since we Kentuckian’s do live near the New Madrid fault line, it is a very good idea to have this coverage on your home. I believe it is offered as a rider to your regular home owners insurance (home insurance providers feel free to chime in or correct me!). Yeah, I know, we haven’t had an earthquake that rocked our world in quite some time, and the New Madrid fault line hasn’t produced a massive quake since 1811. However, some experts do believe that we could see one in our life time, so it can’t hurt to be prepared.

Kelly McDonald, Realtor®
Semonin Realtors
www.KellySellsKY.com