Camping List

I can't wait for the warm weather and to go camping!! I've put together a camping list of stuff you might want to take with you on your next adventure. I included a general clothing and food section too, but you will have to accommodate according to when and where you are going. Keep in mind the length of your stay, the weather, and any other factors that will play a role in what you pack.

Many items on this list can be bought at none other than the Dollar Tree! (Although if you are a hardcore camper, you may want to invest in some long lasting things.) The things highlighted in yellow are things that can be found at the Dollar Tree. Disclaimer: there may be more items on this list that they sell that I have not highlighted, but I did not see them. But anyways, here is my list:

Camping Checklist- 3 Days

Clothes:

1 Hoodie

1 Jeans

1 PJs

2 Undies

2 Bras

3 Socks

3 Shirts/ tank tops

2 Shorts

1 Bathing suit

Gym shoes

Beach:

Towel

Flip flops- or buy them on sale at Old Navy for cheap!

Sunglasses

Sunscreen

Floaties

Shovel

Buckets

Bathroom:

Bug spray

Soap- I personally prefer to buy the travel size body wash from Bath & Body Works.

Shampoo

- Shampoo/ conditioner images not shown because I prefer travel sizes of the good brands, sold at other stores

Conditioner

Toothbrush- Dollar Tree actually sells a toothbrush/ cover/ toothpaste set for $1!

Toothpaste

Hair brush

Hair ties

Razor- they sell disposables here, but this is one thing I would pack my good one

Hand sanitizer- I also prefer buying B&BW hand sanitizers, 5/$5. They smells so good.

Deodorant

Toilet paper- you never know when you will need it!

Kleenex- Dollar Tree sells single boxes, or an 8 pack of purse size (which is what I bought)

Nail clippers- you never know!

Chapstick

Contact stuff

Glasses

Food:

Cooler

Ice

Water bottles

Pancake batter

Butter

Syrup

Poptarts

Peanut butter

Jelly

Bread

Hot dog

Hamburgers

Buns

Ketchup

Mustard

Nachos

Pretzels

Chips

Salt- Dollar Tree sells salt and pepper in a pack- the kind with the closable spinny top which is nice for traveling!

Pepper

Drinks

Equipment:

Extension cord

Phone chargers

MP3 Speakers

Tent

Tarp

Stakes

Hammer

Rug- They sell small carpet type rugs, which are fine for putting outside your tent so you don't track as much dirt inside!

Chairs

Air mattress

Air pump

Marshmallow sticks

Plates

Cups

Bowls

Silverware

Spatula

Paper towels

Foil

Dish soap

Rag

Dish bin

Clothespins

Griddle

Lighter- They sell packs of lighters, as well as lighters with the long stick

 

Lighter fluid

Starter brick

Flashlight- They sell LED flashlights, as well as regular flashlights in a few different sizes

First aid kit

Citronella candle

Aloe

Benadryl

Small broom

Camera

Pocket knife

Books

Games

Balls

Frisbee

Trash bags

Ziplock bags- get a couple different sizes

Can opener

Tablecloth- They sell plastic toss away ones. I would invest in a reusable, sturdy tablecloth.

Tongs

Fan

Duct tape

Lantern

Pot holders

Rope- They sell 50ft of rope, as well as rope meant for a clothesline (which is what I bought)

Hatchet

Scissors

Matches

I hope you find this list handy! What other things do you like to bring camping that you can buy for cheap??

-Melyssa

Pot Roast Dinner

Last night we went grocery shopping, and we bought the ingredients to make pot roast. I am following this recipe found on Marie's Cooking Adventure blog. We'll see how it goes :)

First I rinsed an entire bag of baby carrots and then added them to the bottom of the crock pot. Then, I watched a video on YouTube on how to cut an onion (because I didn't know how.) I used half of an onion and spread it out over the carrots. I don't like onion at all, so I used really big chunks, easy to pick out later :) S thought we should add the onions for flavor, but we'll see. He doesn't even like them either. Next I peeled 4 potatoes and rinsed them and chopped them and added them. Then I put the roast on top, like the recipe says. Then I sprinkled all three packets in the crock pot. Lastly, I used 1.5 cups of water, and spread it all over.

Hope it tastes good!
Here's the photo for inspiration:

And here is a picture of how my pot roast turned out:
SOOOOOO delicious, we definitely will use this recipe again (minus the onions)

7 Things I Learned Upon Moving Out

7 Things I Learned Upon Moving Out

Whether you are 18 and off to college, or 26 and just moving out of your parents house for the first time, everybody moves out at some point in their lives. S and I moved out on New Year's Eve :) We found a snazzy little apartment between our works, and the price was decent.

(Last year on NYE, a bunch of our friends got together and went to the bar and booked some hotel rooms. I was visiting people between the two rooms, but ended up sleeping in S's room. In a king size bed we fit in this order: S, his friend K, K's girlfriend (who is also my friend) A, and then me. At the time I didn't want a boyfriend, hence why we slept at opposite ends of the bed. ANYWAYS back to the point of this story..... I still find it amusing that we brought in 2012 sleeping in the same bed (technically!!) and we brought in 2013 sleeping in the same bed for real! Hah! So much can change in a year.)

Back to the apartment. Since we've moved in, here are some of the things we've learned:

1. If the oven rack is at it's lowest point, MOVE IT UP. If you don't, you will end up burning the cheesy garlic bread until it is darker than black.

2. Microfiber hand towels feel very soft, but they leave little fuzzies when you dry your dishes. Buy real drying towels.

3. Don't use just anything to bake cookies on. Use a baking sheet. And don't put two non- baking sheets next to each other in the oven- they will hang out and your oven door won't close all the way. And to sum it up, don't bake things in the oven with the door partially cracked. Your food WILL burn and the smoke will set of your detectors. Fail all around. (So much for my homemade Superbowl sugar cookies!)

4. Plan meals a week at a time, and stick to your grocery list! We do this and I still think it's crazy how expensive food can be. Also be aware that when you buy bulk things, it may seem pricey, but stuff like ketchup will last awhile and it isn't something you will buy every week.

5. Don't jump on your bed, you WILL break it. (Really all I did was fall jump backwards and land on my bum, but it was forceful enough to crack the metal frame holding up the bed! My baaaaad.)

6. Save some money and use homemade laundry soap. It smells nice, it's cheap, fun to make, and lasts a long time!

 (Click HERE for to DIY.)

7. DON'T buy a mop from the dollar store. Spend the extra money and buy a mop that isn't the cheapest sponge out there on a stick. (But the broom I got at the dollar store has held up so far.)

Things to Do in Michigan

Good old Michigan. We complain about the weather being too cold in the winter, but really, it isn't that bad at all :) Where else can you live that is shaped like a mitten and no matter where you go, there is bound to be a lake nearby?!

I came across a blog post with things to do in all 50 states, but I was a little upset by the lack of things to do in my home state! I guess you really have to visit or live here to get the full extent. So I've put together just a few fun things to do around the state :)

1. Michigan= The Great Lakes State. If you come here, you MUST visit at least one of the Great Lakes! Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie (although it doesn't directly touch the state), and Superior. HOMES.

http://www.michigan.org/news/michigan-s-great-lakes/

2. Parks. We have a ton of State parks and Metro Parks. In the Macomb County area, Stony Creek Metropark is one of my favorites. Close to home, but you get the sense of escaping suburban life. There is so much to do, don't miss out :)

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr
http://www.metroparks.com/

3. Sledding! Yeah, yeah. Michigan is mostly flat. But you can always search for a good sledding hill! That is, IF it decides to snow. (The weather here is wack.)

http://www.sledriding.com/Michigan.html

4. Carnival. Each February, Michigan Technological University in the Upper Peninsula, holds its annual Winter Carnival. While it is mostly a mid winter break for the students, they have AMAZING ice sculptures and snow scenes that the students create. It is definitely something worth driving a million hours for!

http://www.mtu.edu/carnival/

5. Mackinaw Bridge connects the mainland mitten to the UP. No matter what time of the year you go, it's fun. Also be sure to check out some of the shops, restaurants, history, and Mackinaw fudge when you visit! :)

http://www.mackinawcity.org/

6. Apple Picking. Michigan is home to many farms, many family owned. There are a lot of things to do- pick your own apples, fruit, and pumpkins, hay rides, haunted houses, petting farms, homemade cider and donuts, and SO much more. It's always a blast to visit in the fall.

http://www.michiganfarmfun.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&Itemid=3
^ You can search by the area you are in. For Macomb County area, I recommend Blake's :)

7. Bike Trails. What better way to view the scenery than on your bike? There are trails everywhere, you just have to search for ones in your area.

http://www.michigan.org/biking/

8. Sand Dunes. The dunes are one of the most amazing spots to visit in the state! They truly are breathtaking! Whether you are spending the day on the beach or exploring the dunes in a dune buggy, this is a great vacation for ALL ages :) If you visit a tourist spot such as Silver Lake, you will not run out of fun opportunities!

http://www.thinkdunes.com/

9. Restaurants. With so, so many different cultures here, you will turn around and find so many different options to dine. We have everything. Really. (Okay, well we are still waiting on Skyline and Goldstar! ;) )

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g28943-Michigan.html

10. Frankenmuth. Frankenmuth is a tourist spot filled with excitement, shopping, and bursting with culture. In the same area are Bronner's, Christmas Wonderland, and also Birch Run, a large outlet mall with a ton of brand name stores :)

http://www.frankenmuth.org/
http://www.bronners.com/
http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=82

11. Last but not least, DETROIT! There is so much to do in the city of Detroit and Metro Detroit, where do I even begin :) If you are a sports fan, you have to check out Comerica Park, Ford Field, and the Joe Louis Arena. If you like museums, there is the DIA, Greenfield Village, Henry Ford Museum, Detroit Science Center and Children's Museum, Detroit Historical Museum, and more. There are many, many, many restaurants- I especially LOVE Mexican Town! There are the casinos- Greektown, MGM, and Motor City. There's a great nightlife scene, clubs and bars, and music shows and concerts! Ballets and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra are always fun. If you do visit Detroit, be sure to ride on the People Mover :) So, so, so much to do, you will have a great time!

http://www.visitdetroit.com/

Ornament Wreath

All of the ornament wreath pictures on Pinterest look SO pretty, so I decided to make one for S's parents for Christmas :)

I used:
- 1 wire hanger (free from my closet!)
- 6 12pack of ornaments from Dollar Tree ($6)
- 1 2pack ribbons from Dollar Tree ($1)
- jingle bells (from my mess of classroom supplies)
- 1 Mardi Gras neclace
- pliers

First I took the hanger and stretched it into a circle. Okay, it's more like a blob, but I tried ;) Then I used the pliers to untwist it.

Some tutorials say that you should hot glue the ornaments to the hook, but I didn't. They felt tight enough. (A few did pop off as I was rearranging on the hanger, but up to you!) Once the hanger was free, I started putting the ornaments on.

After they were all on, I used the pliers to close the ends of the hanger back up. It was super tricky. It ended up being a mess of wire in every direction haha! So I put one of the bows on the front and covered up the ugliness. Most tutorials will show you how to make your own bow out of ribbon, but I'm not that crafty. So I'll stick with my premade one:)

Then I added the jingly bells. They came with the string, so I just looped the string around the hanger and back through the bell so they were sorta dangly.

Finally, since I botched the hanging part, I strung the Mardi Gras necklace in place to hang it! I will probably go back and redo this part since I don't really like the way it look. But for now..... this is the final product:

Happy crafting!

Date Jar Craft

Money is pretty tight this year, so I've decided to get crafty and make most of my Christmas presents rather than buying them :)

My sister and her boyfriend started dating earlier this year, so I made them a "Date Jar" for Christmas. For this craft I used:
- 1 mason jar ($1.49 at Hobby Lobby)
- large Popsicle sticks ($1 at a dollar store)
- leftover scrapbook paper and stickers
- leftover ribbon
- leftover tulle
- a scrapbooking embellishment

I wrote all of the dates on large Popsicle  sticks. I didn't bother coloring them by cost or anything like that. Here is my list of dates that are on there:

Drive through the city
Movie and popcorn
Bake cupcakes
Pizza and jigsaw puzzle
Go out for Mexican
Bowling
Go to the movies
Watch favorite TV show
Go to a tigers game
Watch sunrise and make breakfast
Play board games
Visit the local art museum
Go to CJ Barrymore's
Have a picnic at the lake
Arcade
Go kayaking
Go ice skating
See a play or live show
Volunteer for a good cause
Visit the driving range
Go to the batting cages
Listen to your favorite songs
Do a crossword
Photography shoot at a playground
Climb trees
Karaoke
Make canvas art together
Play bingo
Recreate a music video
Go window shopping
Ride a Ferris wheel
Send a message in a bottle
Play cards
His choice
Her choice
 ....... and some other ones, but I was writing as I went and did not add them to my typed list.

I traced the lid and cut out a circle on scrapbook paper.

 Then I added some letter stickers.

Lastly, I tied a piece of ribbon into a bow and added some leftover tulle that I had laying around. The tag was mixed in with my scrapbooking stuff, so I added that as well.

I may go back and do more to the jar- either try to dye the glass or use mod podge and get some tissue paper on there. But for now, this is it :)