Letterboxing

Binky found his first Letterbox yesterday!! 

Actually he found two!

If you don't know about Letterboxing you must find out about it here and here.

It really is fun!  First, you buy or make your own stamp.

We found one that Binky loved at our local craft store.  You also need a stamp pad,

a journal and a pen or pencil.  Next, go to the websites linked above and find

letterboxes hidden in your area.

We found 3 we wanted to search for.

The first one was hidden in a cemetary!

The clue said to stop in the Chapel of the Chimes for a visit before going into the cemetary.

It is such a beautiful building!

I drive by it every day and have never been inside until yesterday.

After leaving the chapel we walked over to the cemetary and began our hunt for the letterbox.

One of the clues said to find a place where two rose bushes bloom.

We found the bushes, without blooms.

The last clue was to find a very old crypt in the side of a hill.

The Letterbox was hidden beside it under leaves and dirt.

It rained quite a bit the day before so I wasn't sure what condition  it would be in.

But we found it safe and sound in a round tin.

Everything inside was dry!

This is Binky's stamp that he stamped into the journal in this Letterbox.

And the top stamp is the one from the Letterbox that he added to his journal.

The second stamp was found a few blocks away outside a library.

We couldn't find the third one.

It may have been removed due to all the rain the day before.

We had such a good time reading the clues and hunting for these Letterboxes.

It is a true treasure hunt!

We can't wait to do it again!

MAd TeA PaRtY

A Fanciful Twist is hosting a Mad Tea Party on Saturday, June 25, and you don't want to miss it!

You are invited to join me on my new blog lisa by the bay to

share a cup of tea and have a little fun!

After visiting my blog you can enjoy all the other Mad

Tea Parties by clicking over to A Fanciful Twist.

You don't want to miss this magical day!

yearly martial art photos

My two green belts!

Since we homeschool, these are our official yearly photos.

I can't believe how grown up they look!

They have come so far in Cuong Nhu.

I am so proud of them and their hard work!

our week

 Above is Binky's thank you card to Grandma with some chinese writing.

It says, "Thank you Grandmother."

He is learning Mandarin.  After seeing The Karate Kid, he came home

and told me he wanted to learn Chinese.

Right now we are using this book.  Binky really enjoys it.

It covers everything from the four Mandarin tones and characters to numbers and eating in a restaurant.

Binky especially enjoys writing in Chinese. 

I pulled out some canvases the other day and the kids immediately sat down to paint.

Daddy joined them.  He is always ready to sit down and create!

This one is Binky's.  You probably guessed that!

I love the colors he used together.

Goose painted this after an unpleasant day with a friend.

It makes me feel sad, but I love, love how it turned out!

Painting was a healing way for her to deal with a sad situation.

She is taking a break from friend for now.

I found these blank puzzles at the craft store the other day and forgot about them.

Daddy found them and painted this scene on his.

It makes me think of a magical land or another world in a galaxy far, far away...

These blank puzzles are so cool!

This is Goose's puzzle.

Well, it's not really a puzzle anymore.  She used

so much paint that it won't come apart. 

But it is still a beautiful piece of art!

Daddy recieved his Father's Day gift early this year!

It is a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker!

We have been making ice cream all week.

Binky is more than happy to help in the kitchen when ice cream is involved!

Big surprise there!

And while we're at it we use fractions, convert cups to quarts and tablespoons and

watch the changes in matter right before our eyes!

Happy Weekend!

baking with Goose

Homemade crumb cake with fresh whipped cream and berries!

Can I just say YUMMY!

We finished this cake off in two days!

I am not sure where she got the recipe.  She loves to find recipes online.

She is a huge fan of the show Cake Boss.

This is her homemade lemon bar.

Also very yummy!

I always get a lemon bar at our favorite bakery around the corner.

Now I don't have to leave home to enjoy my favorite treat!

She found this recipe here.

She uses this book all the time.  When she feels like baking, look out!

Goose takes over the kitchen!

You won't hear me complaining!!

everything in nature...

Everything in nature is

lyrical in its ideal essence,

tragic in its fate,

and comic in its existence.

by George Santayana

The kids and I spent a lovely Friday morning exploring our local botanical gardens.

It was a very grey day with a chance of raindrops any second.

We were talking about rainbows and Binky asked,

"What do rainbows feel like?"

And before I could even think of a response

Goose said, "They feel like happiness!"

I quietly smiled to myself and we continued walking.

It was one of those moments you feel so lucky to have witnessed!

By the time we got home it was raining.

But we were wishing for rainbows!

Decorating Seashells

My mom recently returned from a trip to the Jersey Shore with a huge box of shells.

She was amazed at all the shells lining the beach!

So she brought some back to California for us to have a little fun with!

We headed to the craft store for some glitter, paint, beads, stickers, ribbon and glue.

And then we had some fun!

Goose made this one with the ribbon for me!

I am loved!!

I like using the sticker gems that are all one piece.

You just peel and stick!

So easy.

Here we glued one shell on top of another.

This is the other side of the same shell.

You can use either side, depending on your mood!

Even Daddy was having fun with this craft last weekend.

We had such a good time being creative and oohing and ahhing over everybody's

shells.  I couldn't get Binky into it, but I haven't given up yet!

Maybe some Star Wars stickers...