Camping Day 1

Last Friday we started out on our camping adventure to Watkins Glen.  We went with another family and had a FANTASTIC time. 

To prepare for the trip, I made TONS of fried chicken & the potato dish (delicious fat filled potato goodness...I need to do a blog post on that easy family recipe someday...YUM) on Thursday.  I thought I had made way too much chicken, but every piece was eaten and they LOVED it.  I also premade taco meat and froze it so we could just reheat it over the fire for tacos in a bag.

I started packing the car Thursday night and I was concerned that everything would not fit.  My trunk is large, but we had a lot of stuff to pack in it.  My husband likes to call me the packing queen.  By the time I was done filling the trunk and backseat, every nook and cranny of the trunk was filled in (should have took a photo...it was funny) and the kids had just enough room to sit.  And before people think the kids were unsafe in the backseat, they had all the sleeping bags (5 of them total....4 reg & 1 queen) and all 4 pillows back there.  They loved the fact they had somewhere to rest their head during the trip.

We followed our friends down.  The drive down was beautiful.

Ok, so to keep it real.

Tent camping is interesting to say the least.  Ian slept on a twin air mattress, Jeff & I were on a queen air mattress and Lily slept on a pool float (don't judge, it which worked out perfectly for a 3yr old).  The first night sleep was awful.  I slept TERRIBLE and so did my husband.  I could not get my brain to turn off.  It was cool, but sticky and 1/2 the time you were hot.   I was MISERABLE.  The crickets drove me NUTS.  Between the cricket noise and my skin feeling itchy due to the stickiness, I wanted to crawl out of my own skin.  When I finally fell asleep my kids woke up.  The kids seemed to take turns waking up.  Thankfully the next 2 nights were much better and I relaxed some....bourbon & diet coke helped, too.  ;)

Day 2 we went to Corning.  More on that tomorrow.

You Capture - Signs

While on our camping trip I captured a few signs.

We went to the Corning Museum of Glass.  This pick-up truck had beautiful glass pumpkins in it.

While waiting for Ian to go to the bathroom I looked up and saw this reflected sign on the wall.  

A sign when we were getting wood one day.

Go on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry to see other You Capture's for this week.

Wordful Wednesday - First Day of School

We came back from our camping trip on Monday.  (more on that later...we had a great time & I have lots of pictures to go through.)

Ian started 4th grade on Tuesday. 

He has changed so much from last year and the year before that.
These are photos from 2008, 2009, & 2010.

For more WW check out 5 Minutes for Mom, WW & 7 Clown Circus.

Aloha Friday #36

It is Aloha Friday! In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that people take it easy and look forward to the weekend.

Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your comment below and link in Kailani’s blog. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

This weeks question is:
Have you ever been camping?

I went camping as a child when I was in girl scouts.  That was FOREVER ago.  OK, not forever...but sure seems like it.  We are going camping this weekend.  I am not sure where we are going to shove everything we need for the extended weather forecast.  There is a 40% chance of showers and it's only supposed to be 65 degrees for a high one of the days.  Brrrr!  I guess it could be worse.

On a brighter note, I have made enough fried chicken to feed an army and my camera lens is all fixed and waiting in my camera bag to take lots of photos.  =)

Wish me luck, I am going to need it. 

And because the weather they are predicting makes me think of fall, here is a new bow center I made the other day. (she is only about an inch tall and I made them for All Tied Up Bows.)  =D

Have a great weekend!