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Provisions

Don’t you just love it when God provides an unexpected blessing? Last Thursday at church I was chatting with friends about our camping trip and a friend offered to loan us Therm-a-rest camping mats as well as warmer sleeping bags. I followed her home from church and picked up the supplies. Those camping mats made a huge difference in our trip. We were very warm inside our tent even though it dropped below freezing the first night. The extra sleeping bags allowed the kids to double up and they stayed warm as well.

After our camping trip we had planned to stop on the way home to pick apples at a farm. We were all so dirty and tired we decided to skip the picking. The kids were disappointed but they all understood. Then on the way home we came across a pear tree. There were lots of pears just laying all over the ground in perfect condition. We took them home, but I am not sure about eating them. Can you help me identify these pears? Also do you have any good pear recipes?

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I came home from the weekend and had an email in my inbox regarding free Colonial Williamsburg tickets for veterans. I am so excited that we will be able go again and we will all get in free.

After our perfect camping weekend I couldn’t have dreamed that it could get better and yet now we have a trip to Williamsburg planned for next week. The kids are already counting down the days until we leave!

For more Gratituesday visit Laura.

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Our Camping Trip

This weekend while everyone else was trick or treating we went camping. The packing started last Wednesday, even though we weren’t leaving until Friday. I used my dining room as a staging area for all of our camping items. Everything was going great until Thursday afternoon when I decided to put up our tent in the living room.

I realize as I type this how ridiculous it sounds, but at the time I thought it was a good idea. I was very worried about the temperature and wanted to see if we could all fit into our big tent. Usually we camp with two tents, but I thought we could stay warmer if we crammed into our big one.

I am sure it will come as no surprise to anyone that the tent did not fit in our living room. So Thursday evening I had this mess in my dining room.

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I couldn’t really get the tent back into the bag because there wasn’t enough room, and the kids kept getting in the way….

I didn’t have time to deal with the tent anyway because I had another job calling me from the upstairs.

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I am not sure how many loads of clean laundry that is, but it is a king sized bed.

I finally got all the laundry folded and either packed or put away and went to church. The next morning we packed the suburban.

Oh for the person who asked about mountain pies… basically it is two pieces of bread cooked in the pie iron with stuff in the middle. My kids like cheese, pepperoni, and pizza sauce. Here is a picture of the pie irons.

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Okay, back to packing, we packed the back…

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We put stuff on the roof…

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And we even bought a hitch haul to carry more stuff, but don’t worry we didn’t drive with her on the back.

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When we were finally packed we headed to the campground. The campground was absolutely beautiful and we had a wonderful time. The jobs at the campground were much more fun than the jobs at the house.

Cooking hot dogs…

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Taking walks…

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Exploring…

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Skipping stones…

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I took your advice and didn’t make anyone take a shower while we were gone. It was way too cold in the morning and evening, and who is going to make a kid take a shower in the middle of the day? I think some of the kids wore the same clothes the entire trip, which at first grossed me out, but I now realize it saved me a ton of laundry.

The stuff they did wear was filthy so it is now soaking in oxy clean on my back porch.

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At least it was only one cooler full of dirty clothes, not two.

For more Talk about Tuesday visit Lara and for more Tackles visit 5MFM.

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Free Admission to Colonial Williamsburg

As part of the tribute, Colonial Williamsburg offers special complimentary admission passes to active duty military, reservists, retirees, veterans and their families from Nov. 7-11, 2008. The Honoring Service to America pass includes admission to Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area and museums, including the Capitol, Governor’s Palace and Bassett Hall, the Williamsburg home of Foundation benefactor John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. The pass also includes an Orientation Walk, a walking tour that provides an overview of Colonial Williamsburg and its Restoration, free shuttle bus service to and from the Visitor Center, a viewing of the movie, “Williamsburg, The Story of a Patriot,” and free parking at the Visitor Center.

If you live anywhere near Colonial Williamsburg and you are eligible for free admission I urge you to go. I just spoke with a representative and confirmed that you will receive free admission for all 5 days! Our family loves visiting Williamsburg and there is something for every age (well except babies!).

Along with free admission there are discounts available on hotels. You can read all about it at their website. Tickets are over $40 for adults so this is a fabulous deal! I have been several times and always enjoyed it immensely. If you go wear your walking shoes because the area is huge. I would recommend a stroller for little ones as even my bigger kids were tired at the end of the day.

Hats off to Williamsburg for supporting our troops!

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Camping

This weekend we will be camping. For those of you living in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas I know you all are gearing up for your camping trips too. The bugs are finally dying off and the nights are actually cool enough to build a fire. I however, live in Maryland, and for some insane reason agreed to a camping trip in Delaware. It will be cold, very cold. I might not return, but at least we will have had some cheap family fun!

My childhood memories of camping involve throwing up, bug bites, high fevers, and food I didn’t like. Needless to say, as an adult I was in no hurry to share such wonderful memories with my children. We have friends who love to camp and after hearing stories of campfires, fishing, hiking, and delicious food I was willing to try one more time.

On our first camping trip, our friends were kind enough to pick a full service campground with plenty of playgrounds, bathrooms, and a Walmart just 10 minutes away. We had an absolutely wonderful time and began to make plans for our next trip. Our next trip was to a state park with fewer amenities and fewer people. We enjoyed boating, fishing, hiking, and my husband’s new love, Frisbee golf.

Over the past few years I have realized that camping is a wonderful thrifty vacation, especially for a large family. Most state campgrounds allow up to eight people at a campsite and the site are very inexpensive, especially when compared to a hotel room. Many campgrounds are located near activities that are also free or inexpensive. Camping is also great if you have little boys who like to run wild all day. Camping, hiking, collecting sticks, and tending the fire help to wear them out by the end of the day.

As for all the camping supplies, many can be found at yard sales or thrift stores. In fact while I was at the thrift store today I saw a man walk by with a Coleman stove in his arms. I often see sleeping bags, tents, lanterns, and other supplies while yard saling. Many stores clearance their camping items at the end of the summer and you can get some really great deals. If you want try camping, borrow supplies from a friend. The first time we camped we only had one tent but needed two so we borrowed one from our neighbor. Every military base I have ever been on rents camping items for a pretty low price as well. Many also have campgrounds.

If I survive our upcoming weekend with freezing temperatures, I hope to blog a little next week about some camping tips I have picked up from my friends. Until then you can download the camping check list, and pray for a heat wave.

For more Works for Me Wednesday visit Rocks in my Dryer, for more Frugal Fridays visit Crystal.

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A Funny Conversation

Dinner conversation from last week.

Dad: “Well kids, we have some exciting news….”

12yo son: “Are we getting chocolate syrup in our milk tonight?”

Dad: “Actually, we are going to need a bigger vehicle….”

All kids (minus one): Confused silence….

6 yo son: “Are we having another baby?”

Dad: “Yep”

All kids (minus 12 yo son): confusion, but this time it is noisy.

8 yo son to 2 yo daughter: “You are going to be a big sister!”

2 yo daughter: “I AM A LITTLE SISTER!!!!” (she is taking it well)

12 yo son: still looking a bit confused…. “Does this mean we aren’t getting chocolate syrup in our milk?”

So if you have wondered why the menu plans have been nonexistent and the posting has been inconsistent I’ve been a little preoccupied lately. I am finally feeling better and am trying to pick up the pieces from the last several weeks.

I am thankful to finally be able to eat a meal and cook one too! I am thankful for my husband and daughter who cooked and cleaned over the last several weeks and kept things running for me. I am thankful for my Happy to be at Home partners who picked up for the slack for me on several occasions.

This newest addition has been affectionately nicknamed #7 by our bible study. I kind of like it, so I guess it is going to stick, at least until we think of a real name…

For more Gratituesday visit Laura and for more Talk about Tuesday visit Lara.

For more Friday Show and Tell visit Mary.

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Off to Bed?

I really wanted to get another post up tonight, but I am starting a new habit tomorrow. My dh and I will be waking at 5:45 AM to go to the gym. Ugh! I am not an early riser, and to me 5:45 is still nighttime… but he needs to get in shape, and it isn’t going to kill me to hit the gym on a regular basis.

I’ll be back tomorrow, if I survive!

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Beautiful Day

It is a beautiful chilly and windy day today. Just a perfect day for making donuts. I’ll post later if they turn out!

Update: They were so easy and yummy! Recipe and pics coming as soon as I clean my kitchen!

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A Few Words of Thanks from our Military Families

Here are some emails I have received lately from people who receive your expired/ unexpired coupons….

Just got the first envelope filled with coupons!  It was like Christmas!  I already separated out those that I would share with my dog owner friends (we have cats).  Can’t wait to use on trip to NEX on Friday.

Thank you and to all your readers!  The coupons are awesome!  I am sharing.  Several of us ladies are getting together and taking a hop to Yokota to shop for holidays.  The commissary will mail our boxes free if we shop and pack for them.  We are excited to get to use even more of the coupons!

I just wanted to say thanks again for all the coupons you’ve sent.  I finally found some other mom’s who are “addicted” to coupons too and we’re loving all the savings.  Most shopping trips I save enough in coupons to cover the SIR charge and a good (usually $5 because we have sooo many groceries) bagger tip.

You are making a difference in the lives of many military families. If you want to find out more about sending coupons to our troops overseas email me at coupons4troops@comcast.net.

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Coupons for Troops

I want to start by thanking all of you who have generously donated your coupons to the Coupons for Troops campaign. I appreciate your willingness to support our troops overseas. I received thousands of coupons each week and am able to send them to bases overseas where the prices are higher and money can be extremely tight for our military families.

I recently found out that there are a few remote bases that do not have commissaries (the grocery store) but they do have an Exchange (similar to a Super Walmart). The Exchange accepts coupons, but not expired ones. As someone who has lived on a base with only an Exchange I can tell you the prices are very, very high. I am looking for people who would be willing to donate unexpired coupons to these families. If you are interested in donating coupons that are not expired please email me at coupons4troops@comcast.net and we can discuss the details.

Thanks to all who have participated in Coupons for Troops. You are making a difference!

Follow The Happy Housewife on Twitter. Click here.

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Attention Military Shoppers

Has anyone ever done a price comparison between the commissary and Aldi? I was in a meeting on Friday and someone was quite certain that Aldi was cheaper than the commissary on most items. I have not shopped at Aldi, so I don’t know it this is true. I plan to make a trip in the next couple of weeks to confirm this, but until I go, I would love to hear some reader opinions on this. Now, if Aldi is cheaper on two items, then I don’t think it is worth it to make a trip to Aldi since the commissary is one mile away and Aldi is ten miles away. I would love to hear from some Aldi shoppers if you think you are getting a better deal. 

Follow The Happy Housewifeâ„¢ on Twitter. Click here.