Summer's Here - The Fun Begins!

Summer solstice was June 20th, the longest day of the year. It was also the first day of our first camping trip! And the first day for Sara and Sky to break in the new Slip 'n' Slide! We've been busy since summer officially started - and also blessed with some wonderful, sunny days! Here are some pictures of our summer fun so far.

When I first set up the Slip 'n' Slide, Sky wasn't so sure he wanted anything to do with sliding on that cold, slippery plastic! So, this is how he spent the time while he was getting used to the idea!

Sara, on the other hand, got right on there and was sliding away! She's usually my more cautious child, so I was pleasantly surprised to see her leading the way!
WIPEOUT! Sky finally decided to give it a try - it was more slippery than he thought!!
After coming home from last weekend's camping trip, Joshua had to leave right away for a week long business trip up in Edmonton. He was home for about 3 hours - long enough to help me empty the car, set up the tent in the backyard so it could dry out, mow the lawn and pack a new bag. So, the kids and I spent 5 long days alone. Things went fairly well, but it's never fun to have the man of the house gone for that long. I spent the first couple of days doing laundry and drying out and packing away all the camping equipment. Whew! What a job!

On Wednesday, I took the kids to the zoo with my friend, Trina, and her two kids. Eric is 4, and Katelyn is 2. Here are the four of them, humouring me for a group shot!
I talk about Trina a lot, so I decided to post a picture of her this time!


I thought this was a cute shot of Sara taking a picture with her pink camera! The kids are watching the otters swim.This one's my favourite!

That was out big adventure for the week. Thursday I had to go for an ultrasound on my abdomen/gallbladder. A couple of months ago, I was out for dinner with Trina and another friend, Penny. I was having pain so bad that I couldn't even stand up straight, my face was white as a sheet, and I was shaking and sweating. Penny ended up driving me home that night. (And I had to figure out a way to go get my car the next day!) It was drama, let me tell you! I've had similar episodes, to a lesser degree, for the past few years. So, I decided to ask a doctor about it. After hearing my symptoms that night and my family history, he ordered the ultrasound and some bloodwork. Well, the ultrasound found NO gallstones and everything else looked really healthy and normal! So, who knows... Maybe I was just crazy, like Joshua told me...

Friday I spent the day cleaning and doing MORE laundry. All this summer activity sure produces a lot of dirty laundry! But, it's worth it - we get so little summer around here... Daddy finally came home around 6 p.m. Yay! We grilled hamburgers for supper and just enjoyed being a family of 4 again.

How Do I Respect Thee? Let Me Count The Ways...

This post is part of a "blog carnival" about showing respect to our husbands. I stumbled upon this fun idea from a new blogging friend at Titus 2:3-5. The idea for this came from the book, "Love and Respect," by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. (To read more about the book and the original idea for this carnival, read this post. Saves me having to type everything!) Joshua and I had the privilege of attending part of one of their Love and Respect conferences about 4 years ago. It was eye-opening for both of us, and one of the most truly helpful marriage conferences we had ever been to. We bought the book a couple of years ago, meaning to read through it together, but that never happened... Then, I read about this carnival and I started thinking about this thing called respect again. It sounds so simple - to respect your husband - but why is it so hard? I was glad this was brought to my attention, because I know I haven't been doing the greatest job in this area lately. On Titus 2:3-5, ET had some questions to answer about respecting our husbands, so I'm going to just go with that.

What do you do or say that shows your man that he's "the thing" in your life? How do you make him feel special, valued, necessary, even heroic?

Like I said, I haven't been doing such a great job, so here are some things that I know I need to start doing or doing again like I did at some point in our marriage.

I can almost see Joshua stand up straighter when I simply thank him for doing things like mowing the lawn or taking the car to get washed or packing the car for a trip, etc. In the past, I've tucked little notes in his lunch box to say thank you for working so that our family can have all the things we need and even so many things we just want! I also try to listen closely when he talks about work and actually ask intelligent questions in response - you know, instead of "um-hmm."

Something that I actually do on a regular basis is to get up with Joshua every morning (O.K., most mornings) and make him breakfast. Nothing fancy, just tea, peanut butter and honey toast, and a piece of fruit. I also put together his lunch and snacks for the day. The girls at work are always teasing him about it and calling him a spoiled baby, but they're just jealous! I know it really makes him feel special and respected when I do that for him every morning.

Another thing that makes him feel respected is when I clean up and organize the clutter spots around the house. I'm not so good at this one either because I usually just get defensive or make excuses. This one is really important to him and I know it makes him feel respected when I treat it like it's important to me too.

I'm not sure about the heroic part - I'll have to ask him about that one! I'm pretty sure he felt heroic when he built the railing on our deck this spring, complete with built-in benches! (I made sure he read my blog post about that one so he could see that I was bragging on him to everyone!) And when he planted 3 new trees in our yard all by himself!

What mistakes have you made that made your loved one feel crummy, unimportant, and disrespected?

I don't like this one as much... I do way too many things to make my sweetheart feel disrespected, I'm afraid. Like when I correct his parenting - in front of the kids. Or when I don't make an effort to clean up the house before he comes home in the evening. (I said "make an effort" not "have it perfect!") Or when I criticize him when he's trying to help me around the house. Or when I just simply take him for granted and never say "thank you." Or when I ignore his physical advances. Or when I'm too busy with the kids to notice him. (His love language is quality time.)

So, I have some work to get done around here - it's called RESPECT. I'm praying for God to show me how to do this more diligently and consistently on our marriage.

How about you? How would you answer these questions? If you want to be involved in this RESPECT carnival, the instructions and questions can be found here. This is just a place where we can all gain insight, share ideas and encourage one another so that our marriages may be strengthened in some way. I hope you'll join in!

Boys and Their Toys

I wanted to post this little video of Sky from our day at the lake while we were camping. At the same time that Sky was happily playing on his little inflatable jet ski, Joshua was dreaming and scheming about the day he would own a real jet ski of his own!

I said, "You just want one because you don't know how to relax." (This is true.)

He said, "I am relaxed." (Execpt that he was enviously eyeing all the people with boats and jet skis.)

I said, "Yes, because you don't have a choice. There are no other options right now! If we had a jet ski, we'd be constantly on the go!"

I think I got a man grunt in response.

In the meantime, I enjoyed watching my son enjoy being a little boy. And tried to relax as much as possible...while I still can.

Camping Pictures!

This weekend was our debut family camping trip! I spent the majority of last week making lists, shopping, packing, more shopping, and otherwise stressing about this family adventure we were about to embark on! Our neighbours, the J family, just bought a new trailer, so we invited them to come camping with us. They have two kids, Taryn, who is 7, and Jory, age 10. It was also their debut trip with the new trailer! We spent the week stressing together! :-) When Joshua came home from work on Friday, we loaded up the car and were on our way! We stopped at Wendy's for burgers and fries, and drove northwest to Gull Lake, about an hour and a half drive. We arrived around 9 p.m., set up everything (which went VERY smoothly, by the way!), then went for a short walk to check everything out. The kids were way too wired to go to sleep right away! Eventually it was time for bed. We were waiting for the J family to show up, but they were taking too long. Of course, as soon as we got the kids settled down in their sleeping bags, the J family pulled up with their trailer! They were having a terrible time getting their trailer backed into their campsite, so Joshua went over to help direct them in. Everyone finally got settled in and went to sleep.

The next morning, we had lazy man's omelette's (scrambled eggs with ham, cheese, green onions, red peppers, and mushrooms), bacon, toasted bagels and grapes for breakfast! It was quite the spread!

After breakfast and clean up, we changed into swimming suits and headed to the lake. It was an absolutely beautiful, warm, sunny day! The lake was quite warm. It was also very shallow for a long way out and never got any deeper than our knees! We didn't have to worry about the kids falling off the edge of anything!

There was also a nice, sandy beach that the kids really enjoyed. I forgot to take a picture of the massive playground that was right on the sand, about 3 feet from the edge of the lake!

Later in the afternoon, we went back to the campsite to rest and have snacks, and play some games.

Then, it was time to build fire for supper preparation. The dads decided to each build and their own fire and the competition was on! You should have heard the trash talking the kids were doing on behalf of their dads! Here is Phil's fire with Sara and Taryn helping him add paper!

And on the other side, we have Joshua and Sky, working on their own fire! In the end, Phil had higher flames, but Joshua made better, long-lasting coals!

Of course, no camping trip would be complete without s'mores! It was the perfect ending to a near perfect day!

All in all, the trip was a success. Joshua and I rated it at about 70% successful, which I'd say is pretty good for our first time ever! There were things we forgot to bring, there were a couple of cold showers, a few mosquito bites, but mostly we just had fun. The first night Joshua and I learned a valuable lesson: If you have an inflatable mattress, you must insulate it with something thicker than a cotton sheet. We had wonderfully warm sleeping bags, zipped together, on top of us, but whatever body part was against the mattress was freezing! Who would have thought?! The second night, the J family loaned us some extra blankets to put on the mattress and we were so much warmer! The kids were warm the whole time because they were actually inside their bags and insulated on all sides. (That sentence was for the grandparents sake!!) And sometime in the early morning hours, on the second night, it started pouring rain. Joshua ran out and grabbed all the towels that were drying and anything else that needed rescuing, and threw it in the car. We spent the rest of the night listening to the rain and sleeping off and on. The tent stayed cozy and dry and the kids slept great through the whole thing! When we got up, we took refuge in the J family's trailer for the morning! They fed us scrambled eggs and pancakes. Then, we packed up and came home. Anyway, we're already super excited about the next camping trip in July and are planning more after that too! I'll leave you with two more pictures of the kids that I snapped when they were waking up. Two very different responses to Mommy with the camera...

Father's Day Pics

Father's Day was so fun this year and I'm pretty sure Joshua agrees! Thanks to all who posted ideas for us! It turned out that simple was better than fancy this year.... The day started with a batch of Joshua's favourite, Cinnamon Muffins. (I will be posting the recipe for those on Recipeasy this Thursday.) While I was mixing up muffins, Sara made a card for Daddy with lots of stickers. She did all the writing by herself! When Sky woke up, he decided he wanted to make a coaster. He used those little beads you make into a flat design on a grid, then iron them so they melt together. That project went into the afternoon, but he finally finished and it turned out great! After we devoured ALL the muffins, we rushed off to church. After church, we came home and ate sandwiches and veggies outside in the sunshine. The afternoon was spent doing yard work, playing games outside, and relaxing. We grilled chicken for supper and everything was very yummy!

Following, is Sky and Joshua demonstrating a popular sport in Canada called, lacrosse. I think it's actually the official sport of Canada, but I will have to check my info on that... Anyway, Calgary has a lacrosse team, the Calgary Roughnecks. Our family got to experience two of their games this past season. The first game was just Joshua and I on a date, and the second time we took the kids. If you think hockey is rough and tough and fast-paced, you should see lacrosse! When Joshua and I went to that first game, we were highly entertained - it was hysterical and very rough! It's played in a hockey rink, but the ice is covered with astro turf. The players wear running shoes and shorts. On top, they wear helmets and padding under their shirts. They carry sticks with little nets on the end (see below) with which they throw and catch a small rubber ball. They also use these sticks to hit each other with, and that seems to be O.K. by the rules! When we took the kids, Sky was just enthralled! Joshua bought him a kid sized lacrosse set and he's been trying it out lately. Here are the pictures of the "game" on Sunday!

First, you scoop the ball into your little net...

Then, throw the ball overhand, like this...
And try to catch it, like this...

Aren't they cute?!
After supper, we made a fire and ate LOTS of smores! Sara decided, after 2 very sticky marshmallows, that she just wanted to eat the graham cracker and chocolate together, without the marshmallows!
Happy smiles for a very Happy Father's Day! We couldn't ask for a better Daddy!

Finally...the Sun Is Out!

After about 5 or 6 days of rain, rain and more rain, we finally have sunshine! I wouldn't call it really warm yet, but at least I can look outside and smile! Today has been a much more productive day already - that makes for a happy husband tonight! When the weather is gray and rainy, I tend to shut down and only do what is absolutely necessary around the house. Nothing motivates me more than a beautiful, sunny day! This morning, I got some laundry done, including the sheets on our bed, and dishes washed up. I decided not to subject Sara to any schoolwork for the morning, so she and Sky spent a couple of hours riding their bikes and playing hockey in the driveway. I enjoyed the peace and quiet to catch up on reading my favourite blogs!

A few days ago, we received a big box with Sara's new math books for next year. (I had extra money leftover from the school board that I needed to use up by the end of the year.) We use the curriculum, Math.U.See, which has a heavy emphasis on manipulatives. For any of you with "hands-on" children, this curriculum is wonderful! Sara says math is her favourite subject and I think that's because they make things so easy to understand and grasp. I'm even "getting" things in a new way! We had their set of starter blocks, but needed the completer set for the next book. Along with the extra blocks, I ordered the fancy, wooden boxes that they can be stored in. I don't know how we survived a whole year without these boxes! :-) I love them and they will really help things be more efficient from now on. I gave Sara the job of filling up the boxes with all the blocks. She happily obliged! I think all the new things gave her some fresh inspiration to keep plugging away with math and finish up her book for this year. School is officially over for all children in this part of the world at the end of June. So, we will be going strong for another few weeks. We will also have to continue on with Math and Language Arts as much as possible through out the summer months. Sara was somewhat behind grade level at the final evaluation, so now we are playing catch up. I've been dealing with Sara on some major bad attitudes, stubbornness and laziness issues in the last couple of weeks. It has taken away a tremendous amount of my energy and joy. I haven't known what to do some days... Please pray that I will have wisdom and much patience with this child of mine. School has been tough this year. Partly because if my own disorganization and laziness at times, partly because of bad attitudes from the student (and consequently, me giving up), and partly because Sara was very slow to read and write. We would spend weeks on one lesson that was designed for 1 week. Finally, in February, I began to see real progress and we were over the hump. Now, Sara is progressing at what I would call a "normal" pace, but of course, we're now "behind." I am so proud of her and how far she has come from in just one year! At the beginning of the year, she could only write the letters in her name independently. She didn't even know all the letter sounds when the year started. Now, she is reading words like "gift" and "clock"! She is writing well and can even do some work independently. It's been so hard at times, but so worth it. I've never shared this struggle because it was just too painful for me. I was embarrassed, I felt like a complete failure, I was too proud to let anyone else in - even my husband. I've carried this load alone for so long, but I don't want to anymore. So, I'm sharing today just because I know I need to. And because maybe someone else needs to read this. And because I need your prayers and encouragement. Keep us in your prayers this summer. I know we need to catch up as much as possible, but I want it to be as fun as possible. Poor child - nobody else will be doing schoolwork. I'm afraid too... What if we hit another roadblock? I know I can't think like that. I'm also optimistic... Things are moving along so well and Sara is learning so much! I just cry when I think about it! I pray it will be a positive summer. Thanks for listening to me share my heart.

Creative Ideas Needed!!

I'm always stuck for good ideas when it comes to Father's Day. Every year it seems like Joshua already has everything he wants or needs. And if he doesn't already have it, it's something too expensive for me to buy! Last year, I took Sara and Sky to get special portraits made and then we framed them and gave that to Joshua for his gift. (I got that idea from my good friend, Trina.) So, I can't exactly do that again.... Of course, we always make a craft or cards to give Daddy, and he loves those. But, with "giving and receiving gifts" being my love language, I always want to do something more than that. This year, I'm asking for help! What are some things you have done in the past to honour the Daddy in your home? I tend to focus on a gift, but maybe some of you with other love languages, can give me some creative ideas! I'll be waiting to hear from you!

Meet Ruthie Toothie

This is Ruthie Toothie. She has been in the family since I was a little girl. My grandma made me a Ruthie Toothie when I started to lose my teeth. Every time I lost a tooth, she gently held each one of my teeth as they waited under my pillow for the tooth fairy to come. I'm sure I still have that Ruthie Toothie somewhere in a memory box... I made a new one for Sara when she was still quite small. Last night, Ruthie Toothie had the honour of holding Sara's most recent lost tooth - tooth #6! After I put Sara to bed last night, she called me to say her loose tooth was hurting and bothering her. I knew it was hanging on by a thread. I told her that maybe it would feel better if we cleaned it. :-) So, she started brushing and the tooth started to bleed. I said, "Honey, that tooth really needs to come out tonight." She started to panic a little. Then, I took over the brushing and after a few strokes over the tooth, it jumped right out of her mouth! She was so happy! We found Ruthie Toothie and tucked the tooth inside. I almost had her convinced to put it under her pillow, but she didn't quite have the courage. You see, even though we've told Sara that the tooth fairy is only pretend, I don't think she fully believes us! With the exception of the first tooth, she has never wanted her tooth under her pillow. She really doesn't like the idea of the tooth fairy coming into her room in the middle of the night! So, she left Ruthie Toothie on the bathroom counter. Of course, the tooth fairy found it! :-) Sara was so excited to find 2 loonies (2 one dollar coins) inside Ruthie Toothie this morning! Here she is, showing you the new hole in her mouth (the one on the left)!
For more lost teeth adventures, read Welcome to My Life! and Cute Kid Sayings and The Tooth Fairy! How does your family celebrate a lost tooth?

More Rainy Day Fun!

It was indeed another gray, rainy day, but as you can see, one person in the family decided to make the best of it!

You have to know Sky to realize how funny this is. My little boy is definitely "all boy" in many ways. He loves sports of any kind and can hit a baseball like you wouldn't believe, he loves trucks and cars and dinosaurs, and wishes he could be Superman, Spiderman or Batman. But, one thing that Sky rarely does, is make a mess or get dirty! So here's the story... We were all having a Sunday afternoon rest. Sara was playing in her room, Sky was in the basement watching T.V. and Joshua and I were reading and resting in our room. Suddenly, we heard the front door slam. I assumed it was Sara because she's the one who practically lives outside. After a few minutes, there was a knock on our bedroom door. It was Sara saying she couldn't find Sky. We said, "He's in the basement watching T.V." She replied, "No, he isn't there. I think he's outside." What? Joshua got up to check things out. Then, I heard "Peggy, come look at what our son is doing." Looking out the window at the playground across the street, I could see Sky running around, wading through puddles, and wet up to his knees! We couldn't believe it! Had he gone crazy?! He was all by himself out there and having the time of his life! It was too funny! He went out in just a t-shirt and no rain boots, so we were sure he would be freezing soon. Joshua went out, armed with rubber boots, a dry pair of socks and a hoodie. If Sky was going to jump in puddles, he might as well be properly equipped! Sara and I were laughing and giggling as we watched out the window! I went out later to capture the event on camera. Sky was more than happy to splash for the pictures! He finally came in when his pants were wet up to the crotch! The soggy weather must be getting to him, because this was his second messy ordeal of the week. A few days ago, he got into my makeup.... Why? Because he wanted to paint a tiger face on himself! He did a pretty good job, but my makeup is destroyed.... Oh well, it's not like I ever wear makeup anyway! :-)

And one more fun thing we did today. We went, with our neighbours (Sara's good friend Alexa, her two brothers, Lucas and Caleb, and of course, Mom and Dad), to see the movie, Kung Fu Panda! The kids loved it! I think the adults liked it too! Joshua was saying before the movie that it would kill his brain cells, but I heard him laughing a lot, so it couldn't have been that bad! Sky left the theatre very inspired - he was kicking and jumping and chopping with his hands! I was afraid for my furniture, but he had calmed down a bit by the time we got home! Sara just loved the fact that she got to sit next to Alexa the whole time. And have all the popcorn and Gatorade her heart desired! It was fun to do something like that with neighbours. We've really enjoyed the relationships we've been able to build with our neighbours since moving to this new community. We've been blessed with so many new friends!

And that's the end of another rainy day! It's time for my cozy bed! Tomorrow is supposed to be dry and partly sunny! Yay!

Rainy Day Adventures

Today was cold and rainy. Sara and Sky had their final music classes with Miss Wendy this morning. They both had fun in their classes, playing games and singing their favourite songs one more time! We'll start up again in September, but it will be so nice to have the summer break.

After lunch, Sara played with her friend, Alexa, from 3 doors down for awhile. Sky joined in too, and they had a lot of fun together, running around the house and laughing! Then, I played games on Facebook and took a shower, while everyone else watched T.V. Once my legs were swimsuit worthy, we packed up towels and goggles and headed to the swimming pool! We almost didn't need to rinse in the shower before getting into the pool, with all the rain pelting us on the way into the building! We swam and splashed and raced down the water slide, with a few breaks to warm up in the hot tub. It was a nice diversion for all of us, on such a yucky day. It's been such a wet spring.... After showers and dry clothes, we went to our favourite pizza place, Casa Mia's, for supper. We had some hearty appetites and managed to almost polish off an extra-large pizza! It was delicious, as usual! When we got home, it was time for dessert (Gooey Butter Cake - see post below), and jammies. The kids were exhausted and ready to sleep! Tomorrow is supposed to be another rainy day, so we'll see what adventures we can come up with!

Just A Reminder....

I wanted to remind everyone about the other blog that I'm a part of, Recipeasy. Yesterday, after much begging from Sky and Sara, I baked a Gooey Butter Cake, for our family to enjoy over the weekend. And enjoy it, we have! It's almost gone already! I just finished a piece of it for my bedtime snack! Not good! Well, I guess it was good, as in "yummy," but not good by healthy standards! Anyway, check out the recipe and try it for yourself. Some other recipes I've posted are:
Summer Strawberry Pie
Simple Spanish Rice
Baked Oatmeal
Swedish Meatballs
Cabbage Meatball Soup
And lots of other great recipes from my blogging friends, Karen, Emily and Judith!

I'm supposed to post every Thursday, so keep checking back....

A Musical Success!

Something I've wanted to post all week.... (My computer time has been pretty much non-existent.)

On Sunday afternoon, we took a break from the ruggedness of camping experiments and yard work, for something a little more cultured! The year-end piano recital! Sara and Sky were registered with Music For Young Children this year. (To read my previous description, click here.) It was a wonderful experience for our whole family. The kids learned sooo much and had tons of fun doing it! I would recommend this program to anyone. Sara and Sky both performed in the recital again and they did an excellent job! Sara played her piece so nicely and clearly - we were very proud! There were no music sheet malfunctions this time, so that saved our nerves a bit! She even remembered to curtsy! (Which was something she forgot last time and was upset with herself about.)

Sky did a group song with his class and he did great! They did the "Hokey Pokey" with different coloured balloons tied to their hands. So, instead of singing "you put you right hand in," they sang "you put your red hand in!" All the kids forgot to sing, but they really got into the actions! They were cute. (But, don't ever tell Sky he's "cute" - he just wants to be "cool!")

Sara received a rose from Gillian (mom to Rachel, Hailey and Dallin, the kids I babysit). Sara was so excited! Gill and Hailey and Rachel came to encourage our budding musicians! Later Gill told us that Hailey made the comment, "It would have been A LOT better if just Sara and Sky had been in the recital."

Here's my handsome boy! We had to force him to wear this shirt and then practically carry him to the car, kicking and screaming! :-( Oh well, he got over it and had fun anyway!

Miss Wendy, Sara and Sky's piano teacher, always does a bang up job with snacks and treats and balloons after the recital! My kids filled up on chocolate chip cookies and rice krispie treats like there was no tomorrow! Joshua's parents and sister also drove down for the occasion, so that was extra special. Our good friends, the Whittington's came out from Calgary. Grandma and Grandpa and Auntie Shannon had to head home right after. The Whittington's came home and joined us for a supper of grilled sausages, pasta salad and spinach salad. We had a great evening!

We're Practicing...

Those of you who know me well, can just start laughing now, so you can get it out of your system! Yes, we are going to try camping this summer....and this is our new tent! We ordered it from Sierra Trading Post, our favourite place to buy quality outdoor gear and clothing. They have great name brand stuff for discount prices. We ordered it, had it sent to my brother in Michigan, and I picked it up while I was there and brought it home. (It saved on the shipping to Canada.) Joshua decided it would be a good idea to practice setting up the tent in the comfort and privacy of our own backyard. It was actually very easy to put up and Joshua and I didn't argue or fight about anything! The kids were a help too! :-) I am very skeptical about this adventure called camping, but after seeing the tent all put together, I must say I was getting kind of excited. (Did I say that out loud?!) The tent is huge - there's one main room, with two smaller rooms, one on each side. Even Joshua can stand up straight in the middle room! So, everyone gets their own bedroom! And each room has a separate entrance too. Sara and Sky were wild with excitement! They each picked their rooms and we even got the new sleeping bags out for a trial run. Joshua pointed out that it good that the kids got to play in the tent and work out their initial excitement before the big event. They were so wired, that if we had really been camping, they wouldn't have slept a wink! We had the tent up on both Saturday and Sunday, but due to chance of showers, we took the tent down both nights. I'm sure we'll try sleeping in it when it's a little drier and warmer. The camping trip is scheduled for the second week of July and we're going to the little mountain town of Jasper, AB. We have plenty of time to keep practicing....



I'm still not sure if I will survive this whole camping thing.... I'm just way too prissy for my own good. Any encouragement, tips or campfire recipes would be very welcome! No horror stories - please!