Victoria Clipper Vacation Contest/ Giveaway -Ends 6-30-11 (EXPIRED)

If you love flowers and have been thinking of a weekend getaway, you should check out the beautiful gardens in Victoria, British Columbia called Butchart Gardens. In fact, Victoria Clipper has a Giveaway currently running which includes a Getaway to Victoria (and Butchart Gardens!) for two.

\

EXPIRED

THE PRIZE: Northwest Multi City Vacation Getaway for Two

• Cruise on the Victoria Clipper plus a champagne continental breakfast aboard
• One night accommodation at Coast Victoria Harbourside Hotel & Marina
• Transportation via Cruise Victoria motor coach to the Butchart Gardens
• Admission for two to The Butchart Gardens including high tea
• Pacific Coach Lines transportation and BC Ferry between Victoria and Vancouver, BC
• One night stay at Delta Vancouver Suites in Vancouver, BC
• Tickets for the Hop On Hop Off Vancouver Trolley Tour
• Amtrak Cascades transportation between Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC
• One night stay at the Mayflower Park Hotel in Seattle
• Savor Seattle Pike Place Market Tour

Getting your garden ready

I am so excited to begin the process again this season of getting my garden ready for our summer favorites! I don't consider myself an expert in this area but I have learned a few tips from the years in my particular climate with certain flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables that I hope may be of assistance in the next several months. I also will post some websites with gardening information that have been very helpful for me. Garden Guides and The Sequim Lavender Festival blogsite (to get things started) has great tips for herbs such as lavender, my favorite!
If you have children, get them involved in the planting process too. I like to set up an area just for my son to plant his favorites and learn each year as well. We have a great time getting dirty and many homeschool science lessons have been completed in the backyard and nearby farms and gardens.


gardenguides.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USwoUgSdWR8

Make your own MOLDED CHOCOLATES!

Here is a fun rainy day treat or special event gift you can create quite easily and quickly. My son and I made these recently as Michaels Crafts Store was having a sale on Wilton's Candy Melts so this was actually quite affordable. We had some of the plastic molds at home to make these in a snap however if you don't you can purchase at Michaels (or another Craft store that sells Cake/Candy making items). They were selling the day we were there for about $2 per mold sheet. Each sheet can make approx. 6-12 chocolates depending on the shape/sizes. This is really fun for specific themed parties as you can get all kinds of shapes. We used a variety as you can see in the picture from different themed molds just for fun.

*****Follow instructions on the bag for either melting the chocolate in the microwave or on the stove. (I prefer the microwave) and carefully spoon the melted chocolate a little a time into each molded shape to make flush/ even with the top. (Don't over or under fill if possible) You will need to work as quickly as you can for your melted chocolate will start to harden. If it does though, you can just re-melt in the microwave. I also like to gently tap down the trays to make sure all the molded areas with chocolate get filled properly and eliminates the chances of any bubbles. The instructions on the bag don't specifically say to refrigerate or freeze to harden them quicker but I do. Remove after about 15 minutes in the freezer or 30 minutes in the refrigerator. You should be able to turn the mold over a plate and gently tap and it should fall out. You do not need to store them in the refrigerator. We filled approx. 4 mold sheets (or about 40 chocolates). Fun note: If you want to you can try melting some different colored chocolate they have available (in separate bowls) and filling each with a different color variation or swirled mix, have fun with it!

Healthy and Delicious Non Dairy Alternatives

So Delicious Dairy Free COCONUT MILK

I have tried many Dairy Milk alternatives such as Rice, Almond, Soy and now recently Coconut Milk. If you haven't tried the new So Delicious Dairy Free Coconut Milk yet, you should. I love the health benefits and the great taste. You can also find them on Facebook and they have a current Contest/Giveaway too on the link above so check them out!
Their Blog also has many wonderful recipes using this product. So Delicious Dairy Free BLOG SPOT

Photo Fun with Kids!

Today as the sun peeked out this first day of Spring for a brief visit my son and I went to a nearby park. I told him "lets each take 5 pictures with our camera of things that are interesting to us". "It could be birds, flowers, signs, or whatever you see that you really like". It was fun to find out what is of importance visually to some and not to another. (I let him use the camera as he is 9 and comfortable with it but please assist if necessary with the buttons, depending on your type of camera and age appropriateness). We hope to do this project again soon as the weather took a sad turn while we were out but we did get a few photos to share. We hope this photography adventure is a fun project for you and your family whether you home school your children (as I do) or do as an after school (public or private school) excursion on a weekday or weekend. My son really liked the1st picture above of the actual 1901 Engine used for logging in Seattle. I liked the picture with my son and the unique way the trees grew out all curvy. Keep it simple and enjoy the time together!

We also made a Birdwatching project out of this adventure as well and logged several bird species we found on the path. To learn more about a fun Bird Cornell Lab of Ornithology citizen science project check this site out to sign up as we did and you will receive a fun packet in the mail with information to collect your area bird data and some freebies (while supplies available).  Celebrate Urban Birds

Happy Spring!

Hooray! My first Blog post is here. I look forward to sharing with you as it is now finally Spring and so many ideas are popping into my head about upcoming gardening tips, outdoor activities, recipes and homeschool/ kids projects and more! Check back soon, won't you? Please subscribe to my Email so you won't miss any current news.