Soft Block Carving

Practicing a bit on my carving. I was working on it for a letterbox. It didn't turn out exactly as I wanted, but it was good practice and very relaxing. (smile) The plan was to get permission to plant it at the Diamond Lakes Library. The title was going to be "Diamond Lakes Library....a Girl's Best Friend". The problem that I have with it is that I used the Mastercarve block, and it was a bit soft.

Though, I have used Mastercarve with some of my previous carves, this particular carve didn't feel like it would withstand the constant use that it would get through letterboxing. Will work on a different carve, and this time I think I'll use my Speedball block (the pink stuff, as referred to by carvers). It is more firm and can take the abuse. Stampeaze is selling a new soft-block called Firm Kut. Think that I will also experiment and give that a try.

Most of the time, I am carving on the go.......while traveling, doctor appointments, spending time at mom's, etc. Here is my carving kit that I take with me. (photo on left)

I love it! Found it at a yard sale for $1.00. Isn't that sweet! Gotta' love yard sales! I always find the most amazing things to use for art projects.

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If you would like to give carving a try, my favorite book is Stamping Art Workshop by Gloria Page. ((((She is also my favorite artist))))) She has an excellent DVD titled Art Stamping Innovations. You won't regret having this in your library. If you really want to see some "AWESOME" carvings created during a study of this book, check out work from the loving members of my online group, Artists of the Round Table.

Dunlawton Sugarmill Botanical Gardens

We couldn't pass up going on a nature stroll and letterboxing while in Florida. The place that we visited was the Sugarmill Botanical Gardens in Orange Port, Florida. Photo of our visit can be found in my Flicker photo gallery:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacqui-fitzgerald/sets/72157624835804196/

The letterbox we were searching for is "Arturo Dominici in La Guerra di Troia". This letterbox is marked as a blue diamond at Atlas Quest, which means it is highly recommended. I can truly understand why. Not only did we bask in the beauty of this area, the carving in this letterbox was awesome!!! What a treat!

Fun at Star Wars Convention in Orlando, FL

Sith and Jedi Force Battle

No doubt about it.....we are serious Star Wars fans. My sons love collecting anything related to it......books, models, games, you name it! We're working on the room decor. *giggles* My oldest son (photo above, right) is writing a Star Wars role playing game. My twins (photo below) are equally addicted. *smile*

Handsome Jedi Knights.

Taken at motel before heading for convention.

Here recently, we attended a Star Wars Convention in Orlando, FL. It was interesting and fun to see all of the wonderful costumes being worn......by children up to senior citizens!

"At Ease"

I was so busy that I didn't get a chance to work on my costume. *sigh* I will for sure next year! [Mara Jade] We are already making plans!! :-)

To see more photos that we took during the convention, visit my Flicker Gallery.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacqui-fitzgerald/sets/72157624849704454/

Patio Gardening

I decided to try my hand at gardening. My mom always seemed to have a green thumb, but for many years, I felt that the talent was not handed down to me. Anytime I decided to purchase plants, I could almost swear I heard them screaming out to others, "Please save us!!!"


Thankfully, things are coming along fine. I have tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, pepperoncini, squash, various herbs, and cucumbers. I'm so tickled!!! A small garden, nonetheless, but it's a start. The veggies taste delicious in my salads.


I also have a Money tree, Mass Cane plant, a small Rainbow Bush, cute little sticky cactus, and various flowers. I have 2 rose bushes.....one of them I will share in this post. My plants are still alive and thriving! Can you believe it??! *giggles* I'm going to keep it up with hopes that I will get better at it each year.

Here are a couple of books that I purchased to help me along the way.

The Organic Fruit and Vegetable Gardener's Year - A seasonal guide to growing what you eat

http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Fruit-Vegetable-Gardeners-Year/dp/1861085664

Easy Container Combos: Vegetables & Flowers

http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Container-Combos-Vegetables-Crawfords/dp/0971222096

Do you enjoy gardening? If so, I could use any tips that you provide! If you have a garden, PLEASE post a link to your blog, website, or photo gallery. I would enjoy the inspiration!!! I live in a condominium, and there is not much land for outdoor gardening, so if you could share info about gardening in small areas or even patio gardening I would truly appreciate it!!! Another question....what do you have the most success in planting during the fall?

Happy Gardening!

Family Fun Making Raw Almond Milk

The boys and I had LOTS of fun making almond milk! We were clowning, laughing, and joyfully communicating. I love those moments, and I'm cRaZy about my sons!!! *sigh* They're growing up so fast. Would you believe I'm the shortest one in the bunch.....and I'm tall! When we're all together, it looks like I'm surrounded by bodyguards. *laughing!*

Anyhoo....here is the recipe by chance that someone reading this is lactose intolerant, like me, and would like to try almond milk as an alternative:

Raw Almond Milk

2 1/2 cup soaked raw almonds (soak overnight)
3 cups filtered water
Pinch of sun-dried sea salt
1 T non-alcohol vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean (optional)
1/12 T coconut oil
3 soft dates, pitted or 2T Agave

For information about the benefits of soaking your almonds, visit the following site:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/benefits-of-soaking-almonds-in-water.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rig3vF3WOwM

http://www.bodyecology.com/06/11/09/how_to_eat_and_not_eat_almonds.php

When my sons and I make almond milk, we peel the almonds. It makes the milk look white and creamy when blended.

At medium, then high speed, blend soaked almonds, water, and sea salt until smooth. Pour through a nut bag to separate the pulp.

Save the pulp! It can be used to make raw deserts. If you prefer to use it another day, simply put it in a container and save in the freezer.

Pulp

Pour liquid back in the blender and blend in vanilla extract, coconut oil, vanilla bean (if using), and sweetener (dates or agave) until smooth.

For a delicious treat, use almond milk to make smoothies! Yum!!!

Still Enjoying the Nature Trails and Letterboxing

As you see, I am not an everyday blogger. We're having so much fun hiking and letterboxing while the boys are out of school for summer vacation. When I get back home, I relax for a bit read/study, etc.....and by the end of the day, I get a good night's sleep. I am so thankful for the trails. As a single parent mom, the finances are tough at times. I was feeling down that I didn't have the money to travel to various places with my sons. Hiking and letterboxing has remedied that. We enjoy focusing on God's beautiful creation, and our close relationship as a family while we are on these adventures.

We have been on different trails, but I think I will share a few photos of the North Augusta Greenway nature trail today. My sons and I LOVE it there!!!

Though it does not seem like it on this photo, this hill was pretty steep when you are at the top looking down. At first, I thought....maybe I shouldn't go down there. At my age, I might break something or even have a hard time climbing back up. "Don't go down, Sweetie," I said to Dustin, "you may fall down and get hurt."

A young gentleman was fishing in the area and encouraged me, "Go on down! You can make it! Just hold on to some of the limbs." Deep breath.....hmmmm.....I see that others are down there, and this guy certainly was able to do it. I'll take on his tip and encouragement. I knew that deep inside, the kid in me wanted to try this adventure. I'm always curious as to what is around the corner or in odd paths of nature trails. Plus, there is a part of me that says......yes, I am 46 years "young", I feel blessed each day that I am alive and have my health......and my goodness, I want to live that way! Don't get me wrong, I would not want to get seriously hurt on any of these trails, and I'm not throwing caution to the wind doing wild sports or entertainment that would endanger my life or that of my family. It is simply that I would rather sprain an ankle or break an arm "truly living" and enjoying the nature that I see and the time with my family, than occupy space on this planet in idle comfort, or doing nothing under the policy and practice of "playing it safe". Some of you will fully understand what I mean.

Isn't the Greenway Nature Trail just beautiful!!! It brings me joy even posting about it. *happy sigh* Thank you so much for taking this virtual hike with us!

Our Hiking and Letterboxing Adventure

I absolutely LOVE hiking!!! As part of our hiking adventure, the boys and I decided to include letterboxing. Each of us carved our signature stamps, and have our log books set to go. I am proud to announce that we found our first letterbox!!! What an exciting experience! Each of us stamped our signature stamp, along with a comment in the planter's logbook......then, we stamped the planter's stamp into our logbooks.

After eating a light snack, we decided to venture off in search of our second letterbox. Josiah was the first person to find it!!

To learn about letterboxing, visit the following sites:

Letterboxing North America
http://www.letterboxing.org/


Atlas Quest
http://www.atlasquest.com/

New Letterboxers Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/newboxers/

Here is an excellent book that we checked out from our local library:

The Letterbox Companion
http://www.amazon.com/Letterboxers-Companion-Randy-Hall/dp/0762727942



If you are interested in a bit of the history of letterboxing, read this webpage:
http://www.atlasquest.com/about/history/

Next week, we will look for more letterboxes in some of the hiking trails in our area. Will post when we find more.

Friday (June 4th), we plan to go hiking through the Stone Mountain trails. We're taking our fur-babes with us and look forward to having a wonderful time.

Josiah (above) and Dustin (below) are enjoying the logbook from the letterbox.

More hiking and letterboxing adventures to come!!!