Local Activities

  • Vacation & Travel: Exploring History in San Juan, Puerto Rico

    Picture taken from inside Fort San Cristobal

    A few months ago my husband and I along with several extended family members had the opportunity to take a vacation and we flew into San Juan, Puerto Rico.  (I know, I am a few months behind and trying to catch up on all the fun activities, trips, and events that have been going on this year.  Bare with me I hope to get there eventually).  The day we flew into San Juan we weren’t able to explore but we were able to see the city on the way back threw.  After several days of fun cruising on the Royal Caribbean’s, Serenade of the Seas we had the a few hours to explore San Juan, Puerto Rico.

    We were able to see both the Old and New San Juan.   During our time in San Juan we were able to see and explore several historic landmarks such as the San Jose Church, the Governor’s Mansion, the Cristo Chapel, El Convento Hotel, visit the Condado section of New San Juan and we took a quick tour of Fort San Cristobal.

    Jake and I thoroughly enjoyed walking through Fort San Cristobal.  It would have been awesome to take a guided tour through the fort to learn about all the history behind it but since time was limited we soaked in all the information we could as we toured the Fort with our group. Fort San Cristobal is a large fortress on the island of San Juan that was built by the Spanish starting in the mid 1600’s but not complete until late 1700’s.  The purpose of the fort was to protect San Juan from attacks.  Fort San Cristobal was approximately 27 acres and stretched along the edge of the city.  This fort was one of the biggest built in America by the Spanish.  The fort was built to not only protect the city from attack on sea but from attack by land as well.  I was impressed with the number of tunnels within the fort.  One of the oldest pieces of the fort is the “Garita del Diablo” (the Devil’s Sentry Box) because sentinels would disappear from this post over the sea.  The first shots of the Spanish – American War between Puerto Rico and a US Navy ship were fired by the cannons on top of Fort San Cristobal in 1898.

    It was wonderful learning about all the history in San Juan while we were touring the city.  One of the neat parts about going on a cruise is we had a chance to visit a variety of different islands and learn about their history.  We were simply amazed and grateful for the time to soak in all the history in these islands.  San Juan was very fascinating, and like many of the other islands we visited, it would have been nice to stay a few days to learn more of the history and experience the culture.

    The island of Puerto Rico is approximately 100 miles long and 35 miles wide with almost 4 million people.  It is nicknamed the “Island of Enchantment,” and has a modern multicultural society which has been influenced by the Spanish, African, Native American Tainos and United States.

    Facts about the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico:

      • Land Area:  47.5 square miles
      • Water Area:  75.4 square miles
      • Population:  420,326
      • Density:  2,110 per square kilometer
      • Housing Units:  182,101
      • Per Capita Income:  $12,437

    Another interesting fact of Puerto Rico – “While Puerto Rico is the oldest city under U.S. jurisdiction, most people consider St. Augustine, Florida the oldest city in the continental.”   Informational facts received from To Puerto Rico

    I will be posting more pictures in a few days explaining and showing more about our adventures in San Juan.  It was a wonderful trip through the city filled with neat history.  The piece that made it more enjoyable is that we spent with with extended family.  What a blessing it is to have a chance to explore areas with family.

    A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Explore with a good attitude, look for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!

  • Family Recipe: Never Fail Flaky Pie Crust

    Many years ago my Great Aunt Naomi gave me this recipe for her “Never Fail Flaky Pie Crust”.  It has been a great flaky pie crust recipe that is easy to make.  I have made this pie crust multiple recipes over the years for a variety of pies.  As the fall season approaches and we prepare to make delicious pies from fresh picked berries, apples and other great fruits this pie crust will come in handy.

    Never Fail Flaky Pie Crust:

    • 3 cups Flour
    • 1 cup Shortening
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1 tablespoon Sugar
    • 1 Egg, well beaten
    • 5 tablespoon Water
    • 1 tablespoon Vinegar

    Mix flour, shortening, salt with pastry blender.  Combine egg, water, and vinegar then combine with flour mixture.  Mold into 4 balls chill awhile then roll out for pie.  Balls will keep up to 2 weeks in refrigerator for additional pies.  Yields: 2 double pie crusts

    If you want to just do enough for 1 complete pie crust (top and bottom) cut the recipe in half. 

    Photo by Joe Beone

  • Summer Activities – A Hammock Full of Memories

    Swinging and relaxing for a few minutes in the Hammock!

    A few months ago for Mother’s Day Jake gave me a hammock!  It wasn’t until this Summer that I realized how much the gift meant to me.  As a family we have spent some wonderful time together talking, laughing, reading, and just relaxing together in the hammock.  Jake hung the hammock in the shady part of our yard near the jungle gym, swimming pool, and where I can see the majority of the yard, house and driveway.

    Karlie hanging out with us on the hammock!

    Once Karlie was done swimming she ran inside the house to change so she could have some relaxing time on the hammock with Mom and Dad.  I cannot count the number of times she has fallen asleep on the hammock as we enjoy time together.

    Brina loving the extra time talking and relaxing with Mom, Dad and Karlie.

    The girls love getting a chance to swing on the hammock with Mom and Dad.  They have a blast talking about anything and everything.  It is a great location to have some heart to heart as well as reminisce about all the fun memories we have together as a family.

    Skipper, our faithful guard dog while the family enjoys time on the hammock.

    After Skipper has made a complete loop around the entire property she will settle down at a spot right next to the hammock.  She occasionally will look at us but for the most part she is checking out all the activity in the woods and creek area.  Although she has never been on the hammock she seems to enjoy it when the entire family is outside nearby.

    A moment of rest.

    Every once in awhile when we are on the hammock the girls will fall asleep.  It is such a great place to spend a few moments together.  Life has a way of getting so busy that we need some time to stop, focus on each family member, enjoy being outside and relax.

    A peaceful view of nature!

    This is the view looking up from the hammock.  You can enjoy the beautiful trees, baby blue sky, and white puffy clouds floating by.  Just looking up and watching the leaves rustle in the breeze and the clouds drifting by makes the time relaxing even better.

    I have gone out many times over the last few months to relax, read, think, pray, do my devotions, write, brain storm, or hang out with Jake and / or the girls.  I am thankful for a thoughtful husband who gave me a gift that not only helps me relax but to slow down and enjoy a few precious moments with him and the girls.  Our hammock is so much more then just a hammock it is full of relaxing moments sharing memories together as a family.  Sometimes it is the simple things in life that make the most treasured memories for our children.  I am already looking forward to watching the leaves change colors as we move closer to the Fall season.

  • Craft Activities: Time to Paint

    The girls enjoy summer and all the fun activities that come along with it! One of the activities they insisted on doing regularly was painting. They have a blast doing it and I like that it helps them work on their hand eye coordination as well as creativity.

    Karlie concentrating on her painting project!

    Karlie had so much fun coloring her craft that she used up almost all the paint that came with it.  She was really good about rinsing out her brush!

    Brina carefully painting her craft!

    She wanted the picture to be perfect! Brina had fun painting her pretty picture.

    I am thrilled to see how much the girls enjoy crafts.  It is neat seeing them take time to be creative, neat, and make the craft extra special.  They are even getting better about not making such a huge mess (which is nice for Mommy too).  My babies are growing up so quickly.  I am thankful for our time together this summer and will be sad to see them go back to school soon.

  • Love It – Skippies (Water Toys)

    Our Skippies after a fun weekend in the ocean, still with some sand on them!

    My girls picked out a pool toy, Skippies by Fluid, to give to Daddy for his birthday a couple weeks ago and we got to try them out on our recent trip to Charleston.  It was a BLAST playing with these floating discs!!!!  I have to admit I was thinking of using the Skippies mainly for time in the pool because I thought we would lose them in the ocean with the waves.  Since we didn’t have the opportunity to use them at the pool first we decided to test them in the ocean anyway.   The whole family had a lot of fun playing with the “Skippies”!  They floated really well, were bright colors which made them easy to spot in the water, and light weight so if one managed to hit you it didn’t hurt (we tested that theory, Jake even managed to hit me on the forehead one time).  Plus they were easy to grab and throw even for the kids.

    Several people in the water near us stopped us to ask about them.  I was impressed with how entertaining they were and how easy they were to use even for our girls.  It is a great time of year to check out these neat pool toys as the summer season begins to wrap up.  They are not expensive and can provide a lot of fun entertainment for your whole family.  I found them on clearance at our local Sports Authority when they were closing down the store on Laurens Road.  I am looking forward to trying them out at the pool now that we tested them successfully in the ocean!  They come in a pack of 4 and measure 3 inch in diameter.  You can find them at Toy Splash!

    “Love It” is a series of posts on items that I use regularly or seasonally in my household that I love!  There are some items in our daily lives that make life more enjoyable, efficient, or just plain fun.  I will be sharing with you some of the products that have been given to us (or to me) that have made it to the top of my list.  It’s my way of giving a huge thumbs up!

  • Craft Activities: Silly Yard Animals

    During the summer I came up with a variety of fun activities for the girls to enjoy.  As I was going through the craft cabinet I pulled out google eyes, fuzzy sticks, pom poms, and glue!  A lot of fun crafty ideas can happen with all these great items but I had a specific purpose in mind – Rock Animals!  Rock Animals are always a huge hit and can occupy the girls for hours.  Here is how to much Rock and other Nature Animals!

    Step 1

    Items for the craft – Google Eyes, Fuzzy Sticks, Pom Poms, Scissors and Glue

    We are ready to get creative with Fuzzy Sticks, Glue, Google Eyes, and Pom Poms!

    Step 2

    Have each child gather a pile of rocks, sticks, leaves, sea shells and other items from the yard.  The kids are usually so excited to get started this step only takes a few minutes!

    Karlie gathered some rocks, sticks and leaves to make into fun animals!

    Step 3

    Once they have a pile of goodies from the yard help get them started on making their “animals”.  I make sure the glue is ready to go, the craft is going smoothly, and answer any last minute questions before giving them the freedom to be creative!

    Brina creating her leaf animal.

     Step 4

    Let the kids imaginations go wild creating their own animals!  Here are a few of the creations our girls came up with during their craft time!

    Karlie made a rock replica of Daddy (love the green glasses)!

     I was thrilled to see them come up with “glasses” for their animals especially since our entire family (including the kids) wear glasses!

    Brina's silly stick animal.

    Brina found several sticks and had a blast creating animals out of them!

    Karlie's "scary" shark animal.

    She started out making the three eyed alien from “Toy Story” but decided it looked more like a shark, one of her favorite animals (she has been fascinated by sharks since she was 3 years old).

    Brina found a brick in the rock garden and made a happy brick animal out of it (with glasses as well).

    I was excited to see them find and create a variety of different yard objects.

    Cute rock with pretty purple hair.

    They found the various objects and were able to create the animals on their own.  Although we went through A LOT of glue, so make sure to have plenty on hand!   The rock animal craft kept our girls entertained for hours!  It was so much fun checking out all their neat animals and hearing their stories behind each one.  They left several of their treasures on the front porch to show their friends, family and neighbors.   Skipper decided the pom poms were too irresistible and managed to remove a few from their animals so the girls spent the next day patching a few of their rock animals.  The girls had a blast and it only cost me a couple dollars for all the supplies!

  • Blockbuster Express: Coupon Codes for FREE DVD Rentals

    Are you looking for a fun way to relax with your family over the weekend?  Blockbuster Express has three free rental codes available right now:

    • 29BRAB6
    • 22JEAH4
    • 58PPLA7

    Coupon Codes are good through midnight Monday, August 22, 2011.

    More coupon codes:

    • 27TGAF6 – Expires August 19
    • 34BCRD4 – Expires August 19
    • 62BRAB4 – Expires August 19
    • 98ARDQ2 – Expires August 19
    • 92JEAH8 – Expires August 19
    • 29SGJC3 – Expires August 19
    • 65PPLA8 – Expires August 19
    • 68HLG3W – Expires August 20

    The coupon codes can be used to get DVDs from your nearest Blockbuster Express kiosk.  Some codes may only work online so make sure to reserve your rental before picking it up.  A credit card required to rent.  The codes are not valid on Blu-rays or new releases.

  • Vacation & Travel: Exploring Vermont

    After our adventures in Boston we had the opportunity to head up to Vermont and spend a few days with Jake’s grandparents. We had a blast hanging out with them and the girls had a chance to experience Vermont. They thought the river was a neat place to explore!

    Exploring Vermont

    Taking a hike with Daddy!

    Down by the river!

    The girls were excited to see the river near Nana and PopPop’s house.  They loved hearing Daddy’s stories of camping and having fun in Vermont.

    Wild strawberries growing along the trail in Vermont

     Brina and Karlie enjoyed seeing the different trees, fruits, flowers and fun items along the hiking trail.  They pointed out several wild strawberry patches!

    Vermont wildflower boutique made by Brina and Karlie

    They made a cute little boutique out of the wildflowers they picked along our hike (and a pine cone)!

    Karlie being silly at the Cabot store!

    We went to the Antique Mall and the little shops in the area.  The girls had a blast tasting several of the Cabot cheeses!

    Exploring Quechee Gorge in Vermont!

    Quechee Gorge was fun to look at and see with the girls.  They thought it was a LONG ways down!

    Karlie enjoying a popsicle at Nana and PopPop's

    Karlie thought it was so cool Nana got “rocket” popsicles!

    Brina thinks the popsicles are delicious!

    Dessert after supper – a colorful popsicle (what a perfect treat)!

    Karlie having fun in Vermont!

    Playing in their new garage!

    I followed the girls and Daddy down to the river.

    While Daddy was cutting a tree that was in the path I startled the girls!  They didn’t hear me over the chain saw running, this was Brina’s expression!  Guess next time I should announce my arrival.

    PopPop and Daddy splitting some wood.

    Daddy and PopPop got through the stack of would they had to split while we were there that week.  The girls found the splitter fascinating to watch and even did one themselves.

    Karlie and Brina blowing bubbles.

    Blowing bubbles, always a fun summer time activity!

    Brina and Karlie hanging out with Nana!

    The girls enjoyed their time hanging out with Nana and PopPop!

    Ready for a swim in the river!

    Who is ready for an ice cold swim in the river!?

    Brina found a stick in the river

    The water was pretty chilly but that didn’t bother Brina!  The girls had a blast finding sticks, building a dam and splashing around in the river.

    Daddy and Karlie heading to the river

    On the way to the river.  It was so much in Vermont, the river was a favorite!

    Sunning themselves on the rock!

    They were perfectly warm playing in the water but when it was time to come back up to the house they suddenly got cold!  This was their solution to sit / lay on the big rock in the yard to warm back up.  It only took them a couple minutes (if that) and they were back up playing again!

     Having the kids makes every activity an adventure.  The girls loved their time with Nana and PopPop in Vermont.  We are thankful for the opportunity to spend a few days with them.  A lot of great memories that the girls will treasure from that time with Nana and PopPop!

    “A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!

  • Travel & Vacation: Clamming and Playing at the Beach!

    We had an amazing trip up north to see family in the New England area. Our family were blessed to have an opportunity to spend a few days with Jake’s cousin and his family! It was a wonderful weekend full of awesome memories and fun times together. Thanks Matt and Jen for sharing your family with us!  We went clamming for the first time ever!!!

    Clamming near Boston!

    During low tide we all went to the beach to go clamming!  What a fun gooey adventure – Karlie’s explanation of clamming!

    They found one - Daddy and Karlie digging up a clam!

    Daddy and Karlie found a clam and are digging it out of the mud!

    Such a great adventure, searching for clams!

    We walked around barefoot in the sticky mud looking for clams.  When your feet hit something hard (like a rock) you would reach down in the mud and pick up the clam.  In less than 30 minutes we had a basket full of fresh clams for our evening meal.

    Got another CLAM! YAY!!!

    Daddy and Karlie got another clam, oh boy!  This is FUN!

    Karlie covered in mud but so proud of the clam she found all on her own!

    A child’s dream event…..walking around in sticky mud in search for dinner!  Karlie had a blast finding clams and was so excited to get a chance to eat the food she caught!  It was a neat experience and gave us an opportunity to explain a little bit more about the ocean, high & low tides, and clams.  Brina chose to stay on shore, she wasn’t into the sticky muddy mess!

    Basket full of delicious clams!

    Matt made two amazing clam recipes for dinner that night – one dish was baked clams and the other was fried.  His homemade tartar sauce was out of this world!!!

    Every kids dream (at least kids like Karlie) mud, digging for clams, low tide, and fun at the beach!

    Karlie thought it was the best adventure!  She just giggled at the muddy mess and had a blast trying her hand a clamming!  I didn’t get as many pictures of Brina because she decided clamming wasn’t something she wanted to do (all the sticky mud didn’t appeal to her I guess) and since the rest of the family was out clamming I was able to get a couple pictures of Karlie and Daddy splashing around in the mud.

    Most unusual door handle for a gate!

    There was a race in town so we had to stop a few minutes by a bridge to let the joggers pass.  As were were stopped we had a chance to check out the town a little bit.  We were next to a nice house with this cool outside gate that lead into their yard, it is an arm holding a hammer, the girls thought it was hilarious.  Pretty creative!

    Brina having fun in the sand at our "private" beach!

    Matt found a super cool beach area that we had to ourselves.  There was water, sand, and plenty of fun for all the kids!  Brina thought it was pretty cool sitting on the “island” (or sand bar in the middle) and playing in the sand.

    Floating along together! Super fun!

    The kiddos had a blast floating on their boogie boards!  It was low tide when we arrived and as we swim, grilled out and played the tide slowly kept coming back up.  The kids discovered that they could get on the boards and the current would take them away.  Sometimes they would race each other and other times they would link together so they could float along as one big team.

    Our own private beach area! Perfect spot for the kids to play, have a BBQ, and relax!

    Our “private” beach, it really was a neat place to play!  See our pile of shoes, line of beach chairs, water to splash in and sand to play around on.  The sand in the middle was a sand bar with water flowing on either side making it a little island for everyone to enjoy (or at least until the tide rose high enough to cover the entire sand bar)!  We had a super fun time exploring and playing with cousins!

    Tide is moving in and covering the sandy island, Brina and Karlie are having a blast digging in the sand as the water continues to rise!

    The girls love a chance to play in the water and sand!  As the tide was rising and the current was picking up they decided to spend some time digging on their island to help make the water goes faster!

    Neat little town on the island!

    We could see this cute little town and light house on the island from where we were swimming!  The island is so tiny they don’t have running water or electricity (even in the winter)!

    Karlie with a full dump truck of sand, life at the beach is so much fun!

    Digging up the sand to fill up the dump truck!  It is amazing how entertaining a toy can be on the beach!

    Brina digging in the sand at the beach!

    Brina built a few good moats and dug some big holes on the beach!  One hole was so big that if you weren’t careful it could wipe you out going through it (you don’t expect for the ground to drop several inches on shore).

    She cracks me up! Karlie thought it was hilarious when the waves flipped her dump truck full of sand!

    Karlie tickled silly by the dump truck being tipped over with the waves.  Fun times at the beach!

    Brina building up her castle moat!

    It takes some serious concentration to build a castle and moat, however it can entertain for hours!

    The girls had so much fun with their cousins and friends at the beach!

    Fun time at the beach with their cousins and friends.  You never know who you might run into while playing at the beach!

    We are thankful for the amazing opportunity to spend a few days with extended family!  We truly are blessed with a wonderful family.  The cousins played together so well and had a blast.  It became obvious that Jen and I hit the same sales during Vacation Bible School week because we managed to buy the exact same swimsuits for the girls.  All four girls had matching suits and we didn’t realize it until we were pulling them out for the kids to wear!

    We started out that morning clamming followed by swimming and playing so we had a chance to explore three different beaches near Boston all the same day!   Thanks Matt and Jen for showing us how to gather clams and for a fun day at the beach!  What great memories!

    “A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!

  • Travel & Vacation: Family Fun – Boston, MA

    Going to church with our cousins!

    The girls had a blast spending time with their cousins in Boston.  They thought it was great getting a chance to go the early service at their church!

    Beach time!

     The girls having a blast at a Boston beach.  Their first exclamation after getting out of the van was “BEACH ROCKS” and  then proceeded to collect all the beach rocks they could carry.  The beaches in the South have seashells but not beach rocks so they were convinced these were amazing commodities and should gather them all. They quickly learned that the New England beaches contained MANY beach rocks.  I think we still managed to collect a few but not nearly as many as they initially intended.

    Jen picked up some fun Red, White and Blue Star Marshmallows for S'mores!

    Both the kids and adults had a blast roasting these cool marshmallows over the fire!  They made awesome S’mores!

    Daddy and Beanie watching the waves on the edge of the water!

    The water was MUCH colder in Boston (compared to South Carolina and Georgia).  Everyone had a grand time swimming in the water.  I was actually surprised how long the kids stayed in the water with it being so chilly!

    Brina concentrating on roasting her marshmallows.

    It’s not every day you get to roast marshmallows on the beach in your swimsuit, life jacket and covered in sand.  What a great day!

    Karlie roasting her stack of Red, White & Blue marshmallows!

    Karlie talking and roasting.  We had to make her go wash off before doing the marshmallows because she was covered in sand from head to toe, she loves playing (digging) on the beach!

    Brina at the beach!

    Brina being festive at the beach.  It was a lot of fun playing at the beach for several hours!

    Karlie hanging out at the beach!

    Karlie stopping only for a moment for me to snap a picture.  She was enjoying her time swimming and playing the in sand!

    The base to a bonfire near us on the beach!

    It was hilarious watching the guys carry out the jungle gym, it was the base to a big bonfire next to us.

    Karlie contemplating her next sand project!

    Karlie was frequently found creating a castle, a big moat, or some other creation in the sand.

    Beach chickies!

    They love the beach so much it is such a chore trying to get them to pause for a picture!  Jen picked up the snazzy head bands and stickers, super cool!

    The jungle gym is now buried under all the other stuff, it's going to be a big bonfire!

    The bonfire is getting bigger!  There were HUGE bonfires up and down the beach.  This was one near us.  From where we were located we could see 12 other ones!

    The jungle gym bonfire is up in flames!

    It was amazing how big the bonfires were on the beach.  You could look down the beach and see rows of them!

    We had a blast spending time with our family up in Boston!  Thanks Matt and Jen for sharing your weekend and family with us.  We had a lot of fun relaxing and seeing the area with the whole family.  Thankful for the opportunity to spend some time with everyone.  It was a lot of fun hanging out and exploring the area.  Many amazing memories were made over the weekend!

    “A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed.  Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away.  Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories.  It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine.  Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn.  You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!