A thwarted camping trip (plus some carved pumpkins)
So, we've been trying to squeeze in a camping trip with a couple from church (they happen to be the drummer and cellist from our band), and we thought we'd try to go this past Sunday.
But the freak October snowstorm that made the news? It hit the campground we were planning on going to, and suddenly, our warm beds at home seemed infinitely more appealing than a tent. In the snow. In freezing temperatures.
Oh well.
But on the upside (there's always an upside, you know), this gave us time to carve our pumpkins.
Since we couldn't go camping with Abby and Everett, we asked them if they could at least come over to our house and hang out.
Also, we roped them into helping with the pumpkin carving.
I love this picture...Sonia's so intent on telling Abby something in the middle of cleaning out pumpkin guts.
Do notice Joshua in the background here. 😉
Zoe opted for a whale pumpkin, just like last year.
I'm sure you can guess what animal Sonia wanted on hers.
Know something I really appreciate about Everett and Abby? The way they love our children.
Our kids love them for it and we do too.
Want to see the results of our carving??
Here's a light-ish photo so that you can see the pumpkins themselves.
And here's what they actually look like on our dark deck at night.
Joshua and Lisey's pumpkins are both narwhals, so ¾ of our pumpkins this year are sea creatures. Sonia's pumpkin sports turtles, of course (I think the heart signifies that they're in love.)
Since we didn't get to have a real campfire with A&E, we made the best of it and built one in our fire pit instead.
Everett is a fire-building whiz...he got a lovely fire going with only a match.
(Mr. FG and I have been known to, um, rely heavily on lighter fluid. Ahem.)
Fortunately, I had s'more supplies from Aldi.
So, we roasted marshmallows, made s'mores, and told stories.
It wasn't quite camping, but it was a delightful substitute. And we all got to sleep in our warm houses, so there's that.
Have you ever noticed how sometimes the simple things in life are the best?
We didn't do anything fancy or expensive....we carved pumpkins, ate buttermilk waffles and bacon, made a fire, and ate s'mores. And it was delightful anyway.
I think that's because being with people that you love makes pretty much anything satisfying.
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P.S. If you're new here, you might want to read a post from my productivity series called Don't Waste Your Leisure. In that post, I talk about engaging in activities that aren't isolating, and about how much more rewarding leisure time is when we spent at least some of it with people that we love.
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I'm with ya on enjoying the warm comforts of home. the snow put a damper on the last night of the haunted trail at my son's school (at which I was supposed to volunteer.) But it sounds like you all made the best of it.
Me? I had hot cocoa and was thankful that our power didn't go out. 🙂
Kristen, I love this post. I have been thinking so much lately about simple pleasures...things that don't cost a lot of money, things that bring me closer to my family and friends. It really doesn't take much.
It's so true...relationships are the key, I think.
I love this post. Your family times always remind me of home...my home growing up in the 40's and 50's and my home as an adult with children of my own. So many memories...thank you!
Large amounts of crumpled paper can handily do away with the need for smelly lighter fluid. Me, I don't like making s'mores over lighter-fluid fires... I can taste it on the marshmallows. I use lots of crumpled paper instead.
Another substitute is homemade firestarters. You need sawdust, wax, and paper egg cartons (or something else small and burnable). Candlewicks help but since no one told me that the first time I made these, I can -ahem- say definitively that one can do without. I got my sawdust from the woodcutting department of a hardware store. The sawer was thoroughly bemused that I wanted a bag of his trash.
1. Find a pot large enough to hold the sawdust.
2. Melt wax in pot.
3. Stir in enough sawdust to make a very thick sludge. There's no exact proportions, I didn't know what I was doing the first time either.
4. Spoon into egg carton spots.
5. Insert semi-optional candle wicks; let cool.
To use, break off one of the egg carton spots. With my wick-less starters, I put the starter on a piece of crumpled paper and light the paper.
(WilliamB, off to put marshmallows on the shopping list.)
WilliamB- you can use dryer lint in place of sawdust. An old Girl Scout trip.
I haven't made these since I was in Girl Scouts!
Good info. Does the dryer lint have to be only natural materials? Does rayon count as a natural material? Rayon is made from sawdust but it's highly treated and I don't know if it burns without nastiness.
Oh, this is an interesting idea!
The egg carton firestarters work really well! I'm a lifetime Girl Scout and have gone to/worked at the same resident camp for 14 years. We use them all. the. time.
I'm not a fan of eating things that were cooked over a lighterfluid fire. As somebody else said, I can taste it and that just doesn't seem healthy to me.
I never use wicks on mine though. You can just light the corner of the cardboard part. Be sure to put plenty of kindling on top of the firestarter, so there is something for the flames to catch on to.
I made the egg carton fire starters for the first time a few weeks ago when we took my daughter and her Brownie friends camping. And they worked great!
And just as some people might be concerned about what materials are in the lint, you might also want to be careful with the saw dust in case any of it is from treated wood.
To be honest, I just used our dryer lint, no special sorting of loads so I'm sure there were some un-natural fibers in there, though I've also read that the natural fibers create a much larger volume of lint, meaning that the un-natural stuff is a small percentage of the average family's lint.
I couldn't figure out why one of the pumpkins had dinosaurs, until you pointed out that it's Sonia's turtles! I love the little heart!
I thought they were camels. Shows how much I know!
Very cute.
LOL I thought they were camels too! 🙂
My eyes aren't great and I went for camels also - but now it's been explained...
They DO look kind of like camels because their shells are so tall!
We make our own firestarters with cardboard egg cartons, dryer lint and wax. I just stuff each compartment with lint, then pour wax (leftover from candles) in to cover. Break one off and light. We have used these to start campfires in the rain!! Frugal and green 🙂
Another frugal fire starter is to roll cut-up strips of newspaper and insert them into cardboard toilet paper rolls. When you want to use, tear the tp roll about an inch (it has a circular cut, just like a roll of biscuits). and light with a match. Make sure to place it so there's plenty of air circulation.
Wax can be tricky to use as it can catch fire easily and isn't all that little-kid friendly a project. These rolls can be made by almost anyone.
Oooh, another way to reuse instead of recycle!
There's always an upside-especially if it involves s'mores.
I love your blog! I am facing two major surgeries and seeing photos and hearing about your life takes my mind off my challenges and perks me up. I'm sorry that anyone is ever critical of your cheerfulness and optimism. You really make my days! Your blog reminds me of all the good times I had when I was active and younger. I know that your life isn't perfect and has its challenges because it is the nature of life. Your commitment to fully living the life that God has given you is uplifting. Please don't ever let anyone rain on your parade.
As far as I'm concerned, the only enjoyable part of camping is the campfire and the s'mores. You were smart and cut out all that nasty sleeping on the ground part. The pumpkins are great. We put out some and a squirrel ate their faces away. Now, they really look spooky.
Had to jump in here! I decided to bring our pumpkin in out of the cold after all the trick and treaters had gone to bed. Popped out in the dark and picked it up and thought it felt awfully squidgy inside. Put it on a shelf in the playroom and realised it was covered in slugs! The squidginess had been me putting my finger through one. Needless to say it went straight back outside...
So well written and photographed I felt as though I were there - really lovely. It's Guy Fawkes Night over in the UK on Saturday. Fireworks and an incinerator burning wood to keep us warm whilst eating Jacket Pots - just like we always did it when I was a child, and now we do it with our children.
What is a jacket pot?! 🙂
Is it something to do with potatoes?
Baked Potatoes would you Guys call them? Large Baking Potatoes left in their skins and baked in an oven - cut in half mashed up, a little added butter and cheese or any other topping. Hence they keep their 'Jacket's on!'
I love action shots and pumpkins are soooo friendly.
We actually went camping last weekend with our Cub Scout Pack. Though I wasn't in the snow belt, it was very cold and very rainy in Eastern North Carolina. We were cold, and wet, but the Scouts barely noticed, and I made sure my son had dry things to change into at bedtime, and again the next morning. If you go to my website, you can read a little more about it, it is my most recent post as of this morning.