July 2020 CKCB Kit-Challenge #2

This month, Master Forger Clair has taken over the reins at the blog and has given us a beautiful kit to curate as well as a couple of challenges to play with.  I was tasked with Challenge #2:

You can choose to take this literally, and scrapbook about the 'adventures' you have had in your own back yards; or you can take it a little more loosely and talk about the local adventures that you've in your local area. While we're not able to travel as widely as we normally can, it's nice to focus on the fun to be found closer to home.

I actually did two layouts for this challenge.  The first one is just so so but meets the challenge in a more direct way.  I scrapped some photos of my family making S'mores in our backyard.  It's a two page layout that features lots of product from my Color Add-On Kit as well as some neutrals. 

One of my goals this month is to use up those large block letters from my kit.  They've actually appeared in several CKCB kits over the past couple of years.  There was only one letter of each and I hate that!  LOL!  I chose a grid design for this two page layout. 

If you came to my blog from the CKCB, then the above layout is not the one that you viewed for this challenge.  I did a second layout which I truly love.  I played with my stencils, inks, spray, paints, etc and created a layout of my youngest child "tolerating" a photo session in our backyard.  This poor girl has sat still and posed for me as I learned how to use the manual functions on my Nikon DSLR. 

Lots of details added to this layout.  I even broke out my sewing machine.  I decided I hated that lower right corner of my layout, so I tore off that corner and added a scrap of the neutral patterned paper from a previous layout and I used my sewing machine to tack it down fully.  Then I decided it needed a line in the upper left hand corner as well.  LOL!! 

You can see my gel medium and stencil work a little bit more in this photo. 

The extra line of stitching that I added.  ;) 

So, this brings me count from my July kit up to ELEVEN layouts!  Thank you for stopping by my blog today!  I hope that this beautiful Saturday finds you well rested and ready to take on next week!! 

To the beach….. July 24th

So after our morning in Miracle’s Square, we rode the bus back out to Camp Darby which is closest to Terrenia.  Our goal was The American Beach.  Pat didn’t know where it was exactly.   This did NOT make me happy after Tuesday’s ordeal.  We did find the beach okay and we got in for FREE because we came just as the lady was closing up the cash box.  So we rented two chairs and an umbrella for $10 and spent a couple of hours on the beach.

And NO I will NOT be sharing pix of me….

Seth LOVED the water.   He was unhappy when it was time to go.  :(




Emily was petrified of the waves and water.  She would only get in if one of us held her like daddy is in the first two pix.

Courtney loves the beach….



The boys weren’t having anything to do with the water.  Tyler got in and out….said it was too cold and he hates the sand.  No pictures of him and the following is the ONLY good one I got of Garret.  :((

And that was our beach trip…..

Only one more blog post and I’m done with Pisa posts….promise.

Trip to Sternenland!!!

We went to Sternenland on Monday.  Think McDonald’s indoor play place on steroids. Add the inflatables…and you have Sternenland.  We had such a good time!!!! 
I really had a hard time getting decent pictures because I wanted to play too…so you’ll have to make do with a few of the not so great ones and a couple of videos.  


Garret….

Tyler…

This Way To….

Burg Eltz…

Today we loaded up after lunch and went to Burg Eltz.  The original family (one of them…there were three “branches” of the Eltz family living in the castle at one time) still lives in this castle.  This was a beautiful example of the splendor of a castle.  Gorgeous!  My only “Complaint” was I wasn’t expecting a cardio work out today….LOL.

We parked the van in a parking lot, expecting the castle to be around the corner….well let me rephrase this….at this point and time I  thought our borrowed TomTom GPS was a little screwy.  We drove through someone’s FIELDS and past their farm to park our van in an obscure location.  I was HOPING the castle was around the corner…LOL. 
THIS was around the corner:

AND THIS:

AND…..you guessed it…..more of a very windy, slippery, albeit GORGEOUS wooded trail!

I think it took us about half an hour (UPHILL IN SNOW AND BAREFOOTED DONCHA KNOW) to get to the castle….about the time I was sure the GPS was cuckoo….I got a view of THIS and gasp:


sidenote….do you see the castle in the background????  just barely?  That is Burg Pyrmont….we passed it to get to Burg Eltz….here’s a close up of it:

OK…all complaining (which is half-hearted and not at all serious BTW)…today was exceptionally beautiful.  The sun was out and it was warm…even got a little toasty on our walk to and from the castle.

OK….I didn’t know it when I took the picture of the below ruins….but this was built by some dude from Luxembourg who decided he wanted to increase his kingdom and built this fortress to seige the Burg Eltz.  This war lasted for about 5 years.   It was the only battle Burg Eltz was to ever have in its history.

We were able to take a guided tour into the castle including the treasure room.  It was great fun and VERY interesting.  It made our studies in the past of castle life come to life for me.  It’s unfortunate that Tyler wasn’t feeling so well (headache).   I wasn’t allowed to take photos inside of the castle (such a SHAME) but bought some postcards that I’ll scan for another post.








There was a river on three sides of Burg Eltz. 

A look out over the land and river….

closer…

Closer still….

And the VIEW:

My sweet babies…





I like details…..













And on the way home….I took this picture of the road to Burg Eltz