So the other night it was sinking in that I have one more week till I need to perform a complete lifestyle overhaul for the whole household.  Also known as Back to School.  Maybe it causes that amount of upheaval in your home too?  I went into planning mode and pulled out all the stops…chips, wine, Pinterest.  I figured I would use this week to ease into some healthier routines, add a few more go-to foods, while continuing the organizing/nesting mode I was in.

How to Set Up a Coffee Station

How to set up a coffee station to keep all your coffee-making essentials organized and close at hand by shopping your home.

DIY Nautical Knot Bracelets

Hello faithful readers!  One more short post about camping, then I promise I am moving on with my life and my blogging!  So just in case you thought we were completely roughing it out there in tents on the Canadian Shield, well…

As you can see at least we brought our creativity and jewellery love with us. We always pack a bin with crafty creative supplies for the inevitable rainy days.  
Can you tell what we used to make these?  Mine is on the left, made from part of the clothesline.  And Miss Personally's is the rope we use for tarps.  Oh yeah.  Work with what you’ve got.  That’s my motto.

Here was our craft table.  Red tablecloth, red tea mugs, red-roofed screen tent.  The iPhone is for looking up the instructions on my Pinterest board which you can also find here.  It’s a great tutorial and easy to follow.  The only change we made was to use epoxy instead of the glue suggested in the materials.  We were roughing it a bit after all, and it made that step a bit fiddly.  But it still worked out.  A hot glue gun would have made it much easier.
The first time it was tricky to get the correct length for the completed bracelet and we used one jump ring "borrowed" from the tackle box to make it just a bit longer.  Perfect.

Here are the all the supplies you'll need:

Maritime or tarp cord (from a hardware or outdoor supply store)

Measuring tape

Masking tape

E-600 glue, hot-glue gun (or epoxy)

Large spring clasp

Embroidery floss

Large needle

Scissors

(Optional large jump rings)

What do you think?  Pretty cool, right?  We had fun making them and wearing them.  And if we ever need to hang up a tarp or put towels out to dry, we’re all set…

A little Mother Daughter moment.

What do you do when it's a rainy day on vacation?

More crafts to make with girls:

 

Duck Taped Mini Composition Books // Beach Vacation Memory Jar // Watercolour Gift Tags

 

Dip-Dye Teatowels  //  Shabby Chic Personalized Flowerpots  //  DIY Loose Leaf Teabags

Brown Sugar Drop Cookies

So my little sous-chef and I were feeling a little peckish yesterday afternoon.  Everyone else away, and only a bare minimum of groceries had been shopped on Re-entry Day One.  He felt that some baking was in order.  OK, I was up for it.  But it needs to be something quick and easy and foolproof…and good.

Why Go Camping?

Hello again, everyone.  I took myself a little technology holiday and went camping.  Thank you for allowing me that leisure.  But today is Re-entry Day One.  Yikes, it’s a tough one.  Suddenly my hair looks pretty wild.  And when did my manicure start looking so ratty?  And what do I even wear besides sweats or a bathing suit?  Not pyjamas and flip flops, I guess…

Well, we managed to fly out of the house this morning in some semblance of civility.  Without blueberry pancakes, eggs and two cups of coffee, though.  But now there is an explosion of sandy, leafy, damp Stuff coming out of the utility trailer in the driveway.  I sense it creeping towards my front door.  I think I’ll just hide out here in the back yard for awhile and look at some of the pretty pictures I took.

Very soon, all this civilization will seem normal again, maybe even good.  And I might even wonder, why do we go camping?  And you might wonder too.  So here are some of the pictures that remind me why…

Well, of course there’s that…but really that’s not what it’s ALL about. 

It’s about the freedom.  From watches, schedules, technology, mirrors.  (See fashion photo, above.)  And the enormous space.  Space to be, and feel, and gain perspective, and run without agenda or destination.  These are luxuries not often afforded to me.  Maybe you too.

There is no other time when the important activities include finding frogs, getting buried in the sand, hiking along the shore for a picnic, catching the sunset.

And the last events of the day are stargazing and counting shooting stars before zippering everyone into sleeping bags and tents.  We are lulled to sleep by the sound of croaking frogs, calling loons, and the winds blowing through the treetops.

That’s why we go camping.