Empire State Building

I have lived around NYC for more then half my life now, and I am embarrassed to say that I have never been to the top of the Empire State Bulding.  On our son's birthday we decided to make it up there. 
We parked our car in Weehawken NJ, and took the ferry accross.  There we walked quite a bit up 34th street to Empire State building.  The kids did great, hardly complained about all the walking on a hot day in the city.  They enjoyed the walk in the city, it is very different from our usual habitat in NJ, and I think it is rather important to be able to navigate the city you live right next to.

 

When we got to the Empire State we got our tickets, for both the observation deck and the skyride.  I have to say that even though I thought it would be silly, we all enjoyed the skyride very much.  The kids were tired and fussy by the time we got in, but the skyride made them laugh, and they came out much happier then they went in.

The wait wasn't too bad at all.  It helps a lot that we were there on a weekday in the morning.  After the skyride we went up to the observation deck.  We only went to the 86th floor, which was enough.  Of course the view was stunning.  We hung out on the deck for a while and took some photos.  Despite it being a weekday, it was still pretty crowded.

 

After we came down we went to get a few souvenirs of course. Then the kids were pretty hungry and we went to the beer brewery right below the Empire State to get lunch.

 

It was an expensive day, but once in a lifetime definately worth it!

 



Tissue Paper Collage

After I made the piñata for my son's birthday I had a lot of tissue paper left over. It is all colorful and pretty, and my hands were just itching to do something with it. Tissue paper collage was the first thing that came to mind. I love all the colors, and how tissue paper is transparent. I also absolutely love Eric Carle's illustrations, you can find them on his website here: http://www.eric-carle.com/home.html I think they are great! While I am not used to working with tissue paper, and this is a first for me, I wanted to give it a try.

Actually, I made two of them, but I liked the second one better.  The first one was more of a learning experience.  I put both of them on the website, just in case.

 

To see the step by step instructions please visit my website here:

http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Tissue-Paper-Collage.html

The Wedding Gift

The kids and I went to a wedding a few weeks back.  A friend's daughter was getting married.  For a gift I drew and framed their portret.  It is 11x14 inches, colored pencils.



Cherry Blossom Watercolor Painting Instructions.

I just finished writing up easy to follow step by step instructions on how to paint these beautiful watercolor cherry blossom paintings.  The first one is easier and quicker to do.  The second one requires more time and effort.  Both come out really well though! I hope you enjoy them.

 

To see the instructions please go to my website here:

http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Cherry-Blossom-Painting-Lesson.html

Beach Themed Candleholders.

Every time I am at the beach with my kids, I always pick up pretty shells and pieces of sea glass. Frankly, I don't know why, I never have any specific purpose for them in mind, it has just become a habit for me. At the end of summer, my purse pockets are filled with little rocks, seashells and pieces of sea glass.

After the super storm Sandy knocked our power out for eight long days, I found myself in a desperate need for candleholders. Not usually one to use candles for fun, I didn't have any around the house. We made do with jars and lids at the time, but now I found myself on the kick to make candleholders. The ones with the seashells turned out to be one of my favorites.

They are all easy to make and produce a beautiful result. 

 

 

To see the instruction, please visit my website here:

http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Seashell-Candleholders.html

Rafting on Delaware Water Gap

A new note on this trip:
This summer (2013) we made it rafting again.  Same place, except this time we had three kids with us.  We took the 4 mile trip and it was very manageable with younger kiddies.  Also we rented a tube to tie to our raft, which made it so much more fun!!! You do need to make sure that the water is safe for a tube.  We called in a week before, and were told that the waters are too cold and choppy to use a tube due to some rains, so we had to wait a bit to go.  The following week we called and were good to go.  The tube definitely made it more fun for the older kids, and the braver younger kids.  I also managed to accidentally drown my old camera in the river, so no pictures from this trip.  It was a ton of fun. 

Oh, and on the same note, we went to the restaurant that we enjoyed the year before that was just down the road from the rafting place.  The ownership changed, and so did the food.  Not as good as I remember.
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A few times a year in the summer time we like to get a cooler full of sandwiches and drinks, throw on our swimming suits and go rafting.  There are many good places along the Delaware Water Gap to rent a raft from.  There is one in French Town that actually serves lunch.  There are many up north, around Sparta.  They all have different deals, depending on what you are looking for.  Some are great for large groups, some have restrictions on kid ages (usually 4 years old is as young as you can take a child on a raft safely).  We go with just the kids and us, so the place where a kid is free with a paid adult is the kind of place for us.

We usually use this one :
http://www.indianheadcanoes.com/

Up to four kids under 12 go free with two paying adults, which really works for us. This time we took the 7 mile trip, the river on that stretch was way too calm. The 9 mile trip takes just as much time, which means more rapids, more fun. With two smallish kids the 4 mile trip would've been enough.  We stopped on the bank to enjoy our lunch, splash and swim.  My older son enjoyed swimming alongside the raft during the calmer water.  We met a few cool fishermen that educated us about Shad.  Overall, the kids and us were really tired at the end, but it was a fun experience!

 

 

Rachel's Awesome Sewing

Sewing with kids is an awesome way to spend time together. While my boys aren't into it, their cousin, Rachel, absolutely loves it! With a bit of help and encouragement she has already made a bunch of pillowcases, two dresses for herself and a whole lot of clothing for her bear. Check it all out below: