Monday Misc: 3/18/12

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Bulletin Board For The Camper

This is so simple....

I needed a place in the camper to post our menu.
I also wanted a place for my on-going-list of things to pick up at the store.
I didn't want anything big, so I decided the inside of a cabinet door would work best.

Here is the door I chose...

I used Velcro corners and this

Bulletin board (quarter size). I bought both at Wal-mart

Remove the hangers from the back so it will lay flat.

Put the Velcro squares in the corners.

Stick it on the door, and center between the shelves

so the cabinet door will close.

Here is the finished product.
Simple and effective
I love it!

Roasted Red Potato Salad

Here is a wonderful "fix ahead" side dish for your next camping trip.
It is my daughter Emily's favorite.
It is comfort food at it's best.
This salad tastes great served warm or chilled for later.

Roasted Red Potato Salad

3lbs red potatoes

6 hard boiled eggs (chopped)

1lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

Olive oil (enough to coat potatoes)

Seasoning salt

Chopped Fresh Parsley
1/2 cup Dukes Mayo
1 tbls mustard
2 tbls sugar (I like mine sweet, to lessen the bite of the mustard)

Wash and cut potatoes into 1" pieces.
Toss potatoes in olive oil. Spread in single layer on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with seasoning salt.
Roast in 400 degree oven until brown and crisp. Around 30 to 40 minutes .
Then sometime I will broil for a few minutes to crisp them up.
Let cool, then toss with eggs and bacon.

In a separate bowl mix together mayo, mustard and sugar.

Pour mixture over potatoes and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Serve warm or store in the fridge for later.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Campground Review... Does It Receive Our "Comfy Camping" Stamp of Approval

I believe the Smokey Mountains are my very favorite place in the whole world.

I just love knowing there are bears walking all around and that I might get to see one.

I love the smell of the mountains and the sound of a
roaring stream while sipping my morning coffee.

That is why we love to camp near or in Gatlinburg TN.

One campground we have visited a few times is

Twin Creeks RV Resort

This is one of the few campgrounds still located inside the Gatlinburg, TN City Limits.

Let me clarify, this is an RV Park and not just a campground. There is a difference.

It is geared more toward seasoned campers, who prefer more peace and quite.

They don't really have an abundance of activities for children.

With that said, some of the things that we love about this campground are...

The sites are roomy, shaded and equipped with full hook-ups.

The bath houses are fabulous.

The large, clean pool is always welcoming.

A well stocked camping store is a huge bonus.

This ~~Campground~~ "RV Park" definitively gets our

"Comfy Camping"
stamp of approval.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Do You Remember Dudley Creek?

In 1996 my mother bought her first motor home, a Minnie Winnie.

It looked exactly like this one.

My youngest daughter was only 2 months old when she bought it, but that didn't slow us down one bit.

I remember camping in the dead of winter, with 3 kids and her dog, in this tiny camper.

My mother is a very generous person.

She would allow us to use it to camp with our kids.

That was the beginning of our love affair with camping.

Our very first place to camp as a family....

Dudley Creek

It was in the heart of Gatlinburg TN. It was so convenient, you could walk to the campground

office and catch a trolley. It came right to the door! The campground was small, yet cozy.

We only stayed there once, but as for me, it will always be the place

we fell in love with Camping.

Do you remember Dudley Creek?

One Thing That Scrapbooking and Camping Have In Common

Always Dress in Layers!!

Something I learned this past weekend....Six women scrapbooking in one condo,

each having a different body temperature, means the thermostat worked a lot harder than we did!

A dear friend noticed a similarity between
scrapbooking and camping...

A Need to Dress in Layers

In camping, you dress in layers to combat the weather outside.
It is sometimes cool in the mornings and then will heat up later in the day.
Especially in the mountains.

In scrapbooking you dress in layers too, but not due to weather, but to combat women having hot flashes
who sneak to the thermostat and turn it down 20 degrees!

The key for both...
always have a sweatshirt handy!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

When In Doubt, Tear Paper!

I am always looking for ways to make my pages look more creative and interesting.
At our last crop, there was a statement made over and over again.....

Tear Paper!

Sounds simple, but Ohhhhh what an impact it can make.

It adds texture, interest and layers

to an other wise boring page.

There are tools out there made specifically for tearing.

I have one that I love and use it often,

but sometimes it makes the page so much more interesting if
there is no pattern to the tear.

Here is an example of a simple page made so much more interesting,
simply by tearing a sheet of paper.