Crafts - finally!

Wow, it's been a L O N G time since I've really gotten in the "crafty" mood and once I got started I didn't stop! Still have some long term projects in the works, but I have a few pictures to share.

This is for Hannah. It's a 5 x 5 art journal. Can be used to draw in or use it as a mini scrapbook.

Also for Hannah - this is a lined notepad. There is a pencil to match, but somehow it missed the picture.

This was just a simple box embellished with embossed butterflies. A birthday gift for a friend, that had some Ghirardelli Chocolate squares in it. Yumm!

And mini note cards (4x4) that came die-cut, just put cardstock behind the cut out, punched the bottom edge so the colored card stock would peek through and added a mini colored flower, a brad and sponging. And of course matching envelopes. Made 6 & tied together with twine for a birthday gift.

So fun to be back in my craft room again - and not just perusing the internet for ideas, but following through on them! Much better way to spend my time... (as I am at the computer blogging... hmm!)

Garden Valley Sleigh Ride

This last Sunday afternoon we redeemed one of our pre-purchased Bucket List dates. About mid-December Idaho Sleigh Rides had a Groupon out for 1/2 off a ride ticket, so I bought 2 of 'em and gave them to Les for Christmas. We scheduled our ride for 1:00 in the afternoon and it was an absolutely beautiful day for it. The sun was shining and it wasn't windy at all.  

The worst part was this section of the road up there. Part of the Banks/Lowman Highway that has mountains on both sides of it. The road was slick in some places. And that view right there just made it look very cold (along with the ice-filled river!).

Poncho & Cisco (The hard workers for the day!) They had five sleigh rides to give the day we went and 7 the day before. The horses are 9 and 10 years old and are full brothers. And... they have been in the Rose Bowl Parade!

 

The ride itself takes about 45 minutes and it winds you through a bit of the valley.

And some of the trees. It was so peaceful.

The horses, sleigh and tent - where you can have hot chocolate, cider, tea or coffee before and after the ride. You can also buy a dinner sleigh ride for a little more (of course) and have it served in the tent.

We were a little disappointed to hear that a "subdivision" is going in out there. But from what I understand Southfork Landing is going to be an outdoor adventure community and about 60% of it is dedicated to open space/wildlife conservation area. They are putting in a whitewater park. And it currently has a small tubing hill.

After our sleigh ride we walked over to the tubing hill to check it out. If you click on the picture and make it bigger, along the right side you see the tubes & riders getting a lift up the hill. Just after they go behind the trees - you are at the top of the hill.

The owner (I'm guessing) was standing down at the bottom with a radar gun letting people know how fast they were going. Les, kind of jokingly, asked if he'd ever had anybody on ski's go down it. The guy said just one guy on a snowboard, after hours, when the employees were playing. Les, of course, said he'd give it a try. He had his ski's in the pickup. And the guy said to go for it, go get 'em. Les asked if he was serious and the guy says go get 'em. And he was off...

So here he is going up the lift.

And at the bottom - 38 mph.

I didn't get a picture of him on the hill as I was trying to video it. That failed ...and he was hoping to get 40 mph, so he went one more time. That video is below (and on facebook). Got to 39 mph.

This was taken from up on the tubing hill - I was hoping for an overall shot of the valley where the sleigh ride goes, but the tube storage was in the way & I couldn't get high enough!

On the way home we stopped along the Payette River - standing on a snow covered beach along the ice filled river.

Climbing and Hike in the Foothills

A year ago for Christmas I gave Les a "12 Daytz of Christmas" book for Christmas. Yes, it may seem corny, but, you know what? It achieved its purpose. We had a terrible habit of saying we were going to go out to dinner or dinner/movie or something and then we'd end up eating fast food & doing necessary grocery shopping & that sort of thing. Not a very good "date" - I thought this might get us out of our rut. So each month had something different to do and for the most part we did all of them. The things I picked for the summer months didn't happen, but we did other things - Last summer we went to Meridian Speedway several times & that wasn't one of the things I'd even put in the book! BUT it was a date (or dayt) night and was wonderful.

So this last Christmas I did the same sort of thing - except instead of a booklet, I got a small bucket and decorated it and labeled it our "2012 Bucket List". Brianna painted sticks for me and I wrote all our dates for the year on them. There is room on it to write the date we do the event, too. And several blank sticks to add new things that we'd like to do. It has a variety of things to do in it. Meridian Speedway IS in there this time. 

So one of our first dates we did was go to Urban Ascent to climb. Now, I don't climb - but they are always in need of a belayer. So Les gets to climb & I get to help him without climbing! (Works for me.)  The 21st of January we went with Brian (THE Boss) & his wife Rachel. They had never climbed before so it was kind of a teaching day, which Les loves to share the sport, and he also got to climb 6 routes, I believe. 

Here is Les giving Rachel belaying instructions as Brian climbs for the first time.

Les is at the top of one route and Rachel is on her was down. The "little speck" at the bottom is Brian... And that is why I stay on the ground! :)

Last Sunday afternoon we went back to the Foothills Learning Center to walk the storybook path (that we discovered in November) and then hiked a bit, too. What a great surprise that our first month's story was Stellaluna. One of mine (& Brianna's) favorite books.

A very cold looking stream running next to the Learning Center.

We also got a treat - almost right on cue - as we were reading about the owl attacking Stellaluna and her mother, we heard an owl hoot. Kinda cool! Les found 2 of them in the tree - can you see them?

One of the owls is right in the middle of this picture.

And a view from another part of the path - right in the middle again.

"Catface" is a term used to describe an old wound on a tree trunk that closes over as it heals. The concept for this steel, concrete and glass mosaic tile tree is the artist's observation that fire causes change and new life comes forward in the spaces left after a fire. There are all kinds of plants and animals depicted in the tiles. Check inside the tree trunk - there's a raccoon (in tile!).

One of my favorites was the bunny you can see at the bottom of the tree in the above picture and this little bird. Really neat piece of art.

Us on our date hike... (though I think we messed this one up a little and went grocery shopping after... We'll have to remedy that next time!!!) And let me tell you - that sun was SO nice. I don't know how cold it was and there was a bit of a breeze, but in a sunny spot that was calm the sun was so warm on my face. I can't wait for spring hikes. :)

A part of the uphill trail we hiked. It wasn't too bad - the narrow path with drop offs was worse then the uphill climb. We've got lots of paths to explore though.

Christmas Light Show

As promised - a bit delayed on my part, Les did get it onto youtube the beginning of January.


Christmas light show at the house on Parapet Ct. in Boise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apjoR0jLOIQ&feature=related

There is another shorter video (50 seconds) that you can watch from the same house - but it is a bit, um..., colorful. (Instead of "Let it Snow" it's "Yellow Snow"... watch if YOU want!!)