Luisenpark Field Trip

Recently I traveled with Jordan's class to Luisenpark, a beautiful city park located in

downtown Mannheim. The field trip was a bit of a nightmare as we waited outside in drizzly weather over two hours for our bus to show up and rode over an hour on the bus only to be

told by the two teachers in charge of the field trip that we would barely have an hour to explore the park before having to drive back to Ramstein. Not the best planned field trip I've ever been on but we had a good time for the short amount of time we were in the park. The majority of our time there was spent on the gondoletta, an inexpensive boat ride across the lake inside the park. As you ride you can see peacocks and storks roaming the park, the stork's nest, flamingos, pelicans, and we had enormous carp and a mama duck swim right up to us with her babies in tow.

Even with the park overcast and dreary, we still enjoyed the beauty of the park.

Once we got off the boat and began to make our way back, one of the park caretakers stopped my group and asked that we be careful going down the path as two geese were coming down the path with their babies. Sure enough, we got to watch the little family taking their babies for a stroll...or

a waddle, as the case may be! I made sure the boys stayed

back since the mama and daddy geese would attack if they felt their

babies were being threatened.

They didn't seem to mind us too much as they led their babies to

the water.

Aren't they adorable?!

Group photo near the penguin exhibit. Jordan on the way back, looking a little tired :)

Ryan decided to help him cheer up a bit! Jordan and I agreed that it

would be worth going back to the park when the weather improves,

especially since we missed seeing so much of the park. It would be the perfect place to spend an afternoon since there are so many places to picnic and play. I hope you enjoyed the photos of our latest adventure!

Valentine's Day Crafts and Snow

Happy almost Valentine's Day! Today's post is a long one, which means you might want to prepare yourself with your favorite beverage before plowing ahead. I've been a busy bee lately, crafting up a storm for Valentine's Day, classes, and volunteer gifts as well as offering a free class to 28 ladies at our annual Europe-Wide Ladies Retreat held last week. Thank goodness for friends who willingly stay up until 2 a.m. to cut cardstock and put course materials together or I would never have made it through (overflowing gratitude to Marilyn and Tasha) The unfortunate reality: I didn't take a single picture of the class or the projects I demonstrated! Sigh....these things happen but I could have kicked myself for not bringing my camera along. Back to the post at hand: the project shown above is from a box template available free on Lauren Meader's new business website and one which I made as a gift for my technique club attendees in January. I revamped the design for Valentine's Day and made 14 of these beauties for the wonderful ladies who volunteer with me at the high school student store.

The box template is the size and shape of a crayon box, perfect for dropping in Russell Stover's chocolate marshmallow hearts, or other yummy treats. The designer paper with the paper flower attached is actually a belly band that slides right off. I'm loving the new Stampin' Up! designer papers and embellishments in our current mini catalog!

Same paper set, now made into a card. I case'd this design from someone on Splitcoaststampers and I'm sorry to admit that I couldn't find the designer to give them credit. Whoever you are, thank you for a simple yet classy card design! I've really got to work on the lighting when I take my photos but sometimes it's better to take a bad picture and have something to post than no picture at all.

Jordan wanted to do goodie bags for his class for Valentine's Day but he wanted to do something unique. None of the suggestions I made seemed to appeal to him until we happened upon a project by Debbie Olson on Nichole Heady's blog that featured an airplane treat made out of a pack of gum and a matching tag. Several years ago we learned how to make candy airplanes at a Family Readiness Group meeting with Joe's unit and Jordan thought that would be the perfect "unique" treat for his class. I printed the font for the tag on Print Shop using a free Creating Keepsakes font called CK Alis Handwriting, then stamped and colored the airplane with Jordan's help. The airplane is from the retired Stampin' Up! set called Toy Box. The heart is punched from the Stampin' Up! Heart to Heart punch and leftover red cardstock scraps. I'm determined to work my way through my scraps!

Here's a close-up: Joe and Jordan ended up coloring in the airplanes for me so I could finish tying all the bags off with curling ribbon. I forgot to make room on the tag for a hole to put the ribbon through so I just attached the tag to the bag with mini Glue Dots.

A close-up of the airplane, made of one roll of Mentos, two unwrapped Lifesavers for wheels, a pack of Bubble Yum, and a rubber band to hold it all in place. We had a serious discussion on whether or not to cover the gum and mints with Valentine's Day paper but Jordan felt it would be too "girlie" and that some of the kids in his class might be "grossed out" by all the hearts and love if we got carried away. I guess girls still have cooties in the fourth grade :) The propeller was attached by pushing a paper piercer into the front of the mints to create a small hole and inserting a silver brad in to hold it. The propeller is also made from leftover red cardstock scraps and the Stampin' Up! Word Window punch. You can design a smaller version of the plane with small Doublemint or Juicy Fruit gum packs and long Tootsie Rolls for the body. Jordan will have to give these to his classmates next week since today ended up being a Snow Day and there's no school! I'm sure his classmates will enjoy them, even if they're received late.

Speaking of snow, we've had an unseasonable amount of snow this year, extremely unusual for the area of Germany we live in. You can see here that Jordan is enjoying the snow quite a bit!

"The Boys" decided to go outside and build snowmice instead of snowmen: they both play MouseHunt on Facebook and thought it would be cool to make a snowmouse representative of the mice on the game. Joe is the supposed grown-up on the right...hee, hee!

Thanks for hanging in there to the very end! I've got more projects and miscellaneous stuff to post but will spare you for the time being. Until next time....

So Tweet and the latest happenings

I know I promised to post pics from my trip to Belgium but I haven't quite found the time to weed through them all. Tomorrow is sort of a "Home Day" for me, with no appointments in the afternoon, so maybe I can squeeze in some crafting and blog updating. We've already decided to make breakfast for dinner, pull out the bed in the couch, and have breakfast in bed for dinner. Yippee! Anyway, I thought I'd post some random things since they were on my mind. I'll start with a project first. Isn't this a tweet, I mean sweet, card?! Once again inspired by Angi Juda's site, I CASE'd this idea for a workshop I did the last week of June. Very simple design and easy to put together. Sometimes it's nice to have a project that's quick, just to experience a quick jolt of satisfaction at having completed a project.
Here's a peek at the inside. I just love the SU! Cheep Talk stamp set with its pudgy little birdie.

July 3rd was an absolutely crazy day weatherwise! I had attempted to put together a weekend trip to Paris and so many things seemed to bar the way that perhaps it was a hint to cancel the trip. After the storm subsided on Friday, I was glad that I was not out traveling in such horrendous weather. The day started off well enough, with sunshine but a smattering of cloud cover and LOTS of humidity. As the day progressed this dark, ominous cloud formation appeared on the horizon and next thing I know, we're being pelted by heavy downpour that turns into hail. That's right, HAIL...in July!!!! I've lived in Germany for many years and this is the first time I remember a hailstorm in the middle of summer. I don't know if you can spot the hail pellets scattered over my yard but the above photo is taken from my office window after the hail had subsided. My poor plants took a beating!

When the storm began, I opened the window to the office to watch the rain and a butterfly fluttered over to the window and almost flew into the house! It was a breathtaking moment to watch this beautiful butterfly fluttering under the eave of the house, looking for a refuge from the storm and watching to see if it was going to fly into the house or stay outside. Instead it took cover from the storm just outside the window and stayed for quite some time. There's a life lesson in there somewhere but I'm still pondering on it. Thankfully the yucky weather passed on and we had a gorgeous 4th of July.

I was on Skype with Joe today and looked over to see Alex asleep in her chair. She was helping Jordan play a game on her computer and at some point, she fell asleep. Eventually he left to play Legos in his room but she remained, just snoozing away. I'm sure she'll be happy to see I've posted this on my blog! Hee, hee...evil mommy laughter.....

Recently I purchased a letter "A" on Etsy for the space above my craft desk and it finally came in last week. I love it! I had actually planned to put it in the space above the punches but it didn't look right so I moved the clock above the door and put the stamp quote and a moo card above the punches and put the letter where the clock used to hang. I also added another kitchen bar from Ikea since I've expanded my inventory of punches. The space where the letter hangs still seems a little bare but I'm just happy to have the space organized a bit better until I can figure out what I want to do differently. I know, having a giant letter "A" on the wall is not the most exciting thing that can happen in life but for some reason the pretty font and bright red color makes me happy. We all need a bit of whimsy in life from time to time!

So, I guess that's the end of today's random musings. Lately I've been spending time on other artist's blogs and feeling that my blog leaves something to be desired. Do I change to Typepad or stay with Blogger? How much more time can I spend crafting so I have more exciting projects on my blog that will entice folks to check it out or does it really matter to me? Where do I need to rearrange things in my life that will bring it into better balance with things that REALLY matter to me, like my family and my relationship with God? Can I make it through another three months of deployment? Just stuff I've been thinking about lately. Probably not interesting for anyone reading this but it sure is therapeutic just to write about it! So, off to bed and a little time reading a new devotion book for Bible study on Friday. Until next time!

Hanging out at the Seewoog

We were extremely blessed when we moved from Wiesbaden to the Ramstein area two years ago to have the opportunity to rent a house in the village of Miesenbach. Not only is it close to the base, we're also close to a good church, and have easy access to a major autobahn for travel. But the neighborhood itself is nice, with a small local lake and some delightful restaurants nearby. Germans really enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, biking, or walking through cultivated gardens so the area around the Seewoog (lake) in our village is well-maintained. Next to the lake is a small imbiss for snacks, a playground, an open grassy area for picnics or a game of soccer, and a picnic table area with a BBQ pit. There are some nice trails around and above the lake that a local hiking club manages. A couple of weeks ago we had some friends over for a BBQ and after gorging ourselves on yummy food, we opted to walk some of it off by heading to the Seewoog.
The terribly strenuous (not!) ten minute walk to the lake meant we had to reward the kids with some fun time at the playground.

Here's Jordan and our friend Taylor enjoying time together.

I managed to get all the kids to sit down for a cheesy moment in front of the foliage growing around the lake. They were more interested in playing at the playground than posing for photos but they humored me! Thanks for checking out our excursion to the Seewoog.

Joe the Harley Dude

My honey finally sent photos for me to publish on my blog...aren't they fabulous?! Joe's parents asked him if there was anything he wanted from California and he requested some Harley Davidson t-shirts for his group (there's a story there but I can't remember all of it). The shop in Fresno donated the shirts with one stipulation: they had to send back photos of their group wearing the shirts. (Joe is the handsome guy in the red and black ball cap on the left wearing dark brown cargo pants) It's so funny seeing the group with their beards and how full they've gotten since they left.
Here's the "bumper" version, with the guys showing off the back of their shirts. I'll be so happy when I see this group come home!

Tripsdrill

We spent the first day of Memorial Day weekend at Tripsdrill, an amusement and nature park located near Heilbronn. The park had a booth in the travel buildings at the Maimarkt in Mannheim and after spending a day at the park, I'm so glad I picked up a brochure! The park's central feature is this retired mill, which has been converted with an indoor slide from the top floor and a fun house type ride on the lowest floor and behind the building. I took TONS of photos Saturday so I couldn't possibly post them all here but I'll probably download photos to my Facebook page as well. Here we go!

Above the car ride was a platform where you could see the entire track and the surrounding area. Many of the buildings in the park had roof gardens, which I thought was an interesting way of making the park more environmentally friendly.

A view of the vineyards and fields beyond the park

Alex pretending to drive...she has to get in a little practice since driver's training is in her future!

Jordan's friend, Jonah, was staying with us for a few days while his parents were on a cruise so Alex invited her friend Brianna to accompany us so she would have someone to hang out with. Here's the foursome aka Jergen, Herman, George, and Larry, waiting for the log ride. The girls made up nicknames for us...my new nickname is Bob so all day long the four of them kept calling me Bob!

Here they come!

I love my new camera! It takes great action photos so I can capture fun moments. I love the looks on their faces as they come down the ride!

The boys were a tad soaked after the ride but it was such a nice day out that they quickly dried. Don't worry...we rode another water ride later and ALL of us were drenched. Nothing like walking around an amusement park in water-logged, squishy shoes!

The May Pole ride.....nope, too high up for me so I didn't ride this one!

Alex and Brianna enjoying the May Pole ride.

The kids were finally hungry enough that I managed to coax them out of the park for a picnic lunch at the car. Both boys were mesmerized by the Maserati convertible parked next to us and asked me to take a picture.

The park had these crazy bikes the kids could ride that bounced up and down as you rode them due to the unusual placement of the spokes on the tire rims. The bikes were pretty heavy so I had to help Jordan balance and then push him to get started. I didn't get a chance to ride one but he said it took alot more effort to ride it than a normal bike and was glad to get off when it was time to move on to another part of the park.

Alex loves monkeys! She asked Jordan to babysit her new monkey purse while she went on a rollercoaster.

There was virtually no line for this ride at the end of the afternoon: I think the boys rode it six times before leaving the park for the day!

I was quite impressed with the beauty of the landscaping throughout the park and was quite taken with these vibrant flowers growing alongside the winetub ride.

The last ride of the day, ended with a smile! We had a terrific time, from start to finish, and plan on making another visit when Joe comes home. Thanks for reading along!

Happy Birthday to Jordan!

My baby turned nine years old yesterday! We hosted Jordan's birthday at the house this year, partly because I threw it together last minute and partly because that's where Jordan wanted to celebrate. Jordan's latest interest is anything having to do with spies: weapons, codes, training, etc. We bought him several spy devices for his birthday, including night vision goggles and binoculars. (These are "kid" versions, not the real thing!) The treat bags were spy kits with squirt guns, secret code books, candy and gum for stakeouts, and a disguise. I placed clues all over the house that the kids had to decipher to find the missing spy kits as they were stolen by an international spy and had to be recovered. The kids had fun and did a great job, especially since I had them running up and down the stairs from the top floor, down to the basement, and back up again. No small feat with 15 kids in attendance!

Since Jordan requested a spy-themed party, we had several SpyKids movies available for viewing at the beginning of the party while we were waiting for everyone to arrive. I guess it was a good thing we did since everyone was engrossed in them, including some of the parents dropping off children! (notice our friend Slim in the background...he's as entranced as the kids)

Posing for a group photo

This photo gave me the giggles! First of all, for Jordan's crazed look but also for the eyeball I accidentally photographed in the lower righthand corner. LOL!

This was my favorite part of the entire party...seeing Jordan read each card aloud. Several things struck me about this. First, this is the first birthday party he's had where everyone insisted he read the cards out loud. At previous parties, partygoers just wanted him to rip into the gifts and chuck the card so this is the first sign of a maturing crowd. It made me realize he's growing up! Second, with Jordan's previous reading problems due to his speech delay, it was music to my ears to hear him read clearly and quickly through each card. What a blessing!

Jordan received a package from Grandpa Bob and Grandma Sue...yay!

Time to open it...ooh, what is it?






Yes! Jordan was enthralled with the book as soon as he saw what it was about. Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa!

Here's Alex's gift to her little brother...a Bionicle! What a sweet big sister to use her own money to buy her brother a gift. Jordan received many nice gifts and we are so thankful to have such generous friends.

Jordan blowing out his candle!

I kept the food simple with fruit, chips, chicken nuggets, corn dogs, Shasta soda (I couldn't believe it when the commissary stocked it. Talk about a blast from my childhood!) and birthday cupcakes. The best part about the food? Alex prepared most of it! Having a Culinary Arts student living with you definitely has some advantages :) One benefit to the Culinary Arts program vs. Home Economics is its focus on all aspects of presentation, serving in a professional setting, and learning the techniques needed to be a professional chef. While this isn't exactly "professional" catering, I thought she did a lovely job with arranging the fruit and decorating the cupcakes. Plus it took a huge burden off of me to try and do everything myself. The hardest part for me was schlepping through the commissary and bringing all the groceries home...not a bad way to go!










I printed out the cupcake toppers from clipart on PrintShop 22 and used a large oval punch to make them the right size to sit on top of the cupcakes. Alex baked/frosted the cupcakes and Jordan helped her put the decorations on top. I tried to keep things as simple as possible, especially since the kids would be more interested in eating them instead of admiring the decoration!

At the end of the day, I had to ask myself, "Am I insane to have so many children over to my house with the hubby gone?" Well, probably but Jordan had such a good time that I can't help but think it was all worth it. Thanks for stopping by and checking out our latest family event! I promise I'll have craft projects posted later this week :)