Summer 2000  My stepgranddaughter arrived for a week's visit, my stepdaughter arrived for six weeks. We had a girls day out with manicures/pedicures and went to a new local restaurant that offers dress-up tea parties.

One day during my stepgranddaughter's visit I had a surprise for them. I had discovered a mystery bookshop. She told me her friend, the tea party restaurant owner, were thinking of mystery dinners starting as a tea party, and ending at the bookshop. Her bookshop had such a wonderful ambience, I got inspired.

I created a treasure hunt for the kids. They didn't know the treasure was a book for each of them already purchased and hidden in the bookshop, with a note from me written inside each book.  They woke up to the written announcement, "A treasure hunt - after 10am safari up to the edge of the wilderness park." There on the fence they discovered a piece of paper with an outline of a key. Mmmmm...took them awhile to figure that one out.

Matched it to the mailbox key. Inside a small pic of binoculars for each of them and a bottle of nail polish. Mmmmm...took them awhile again. I put on my red devil hat - I was the "Huntmaster". A trip to the manicurist! Who had an envelope with a teabag and a picture clue for each kid.  Mmmm...didn't take as long. Off to the tea restaurant. Who had our family's movie backpack with the kids' costume wig.  *chuckle* Katie was getting the hang of this. Off to my hairdresser. Who had an envelope with picture clues for each kid, and 1 tortilla.  Off to the Mexican restaurant, where I covertly asked a stranger to tell them, "The mystery is nearby." Aaron didn't understand why I kept repeating he knew the answer. Finally he remembered the mystery bookstore he'd visited with me.

The kids used the 5 pics they each had that were clues to the book waiting for each of them thruout the store. Took awhile for them to hunt down their books. They were all reading excitedly as we drove home.