Sunshine and a Wasp Tale

Where is the sunshine? The other day it came out for almost the entire day and it was glorious! Did you see it at your house too?

I miss the sunshine. Kind of like I miss that little girl in the scrapbook page (who is now 16!).

Now that my kids are grown or almost grown I also miss those kid experiences. Playing outside with no real purpose, the sweet little voices, the unconditional hugs. When they were little, my kids loved to play in the yard and at the park. Personally, I have a love/hate relationship with the park and backyard swing sets. Many years ago we had one of those big sturdy wooden swing sets that had a fort look-out, swings and a slide. It was painted with a lovely dark green enamel paint and occupied its own sand lot on the side of the house. Unfortunately, the local wasps also thought the swing set was lovely. They built their little nests in every corner of that thing. One day my youngest was out in just a diaper playing in the fort and made the wasps angry. The poor little guy had stings up and down his backside. Luckily, it didn't hamper his love of swing sets and playing in the backyard!

**The giveaway portion of this post is now CLOSED.**

I'd like to celebrate the love of sunshine and happy playing children everywhere with a giveaway. Enter to win a $25 gift certificate to any of the 200+ CSN Stores so you can go shopping for something for your Little Sunshines! Just leave a comment below, making sure to leave your email. For extra entries, follow me with GFC, on Facebook or on Twitter. Leave a comment for each extra entry. The relevant links are in the right sidebar.

Giveaway ends March 28, 2011 at 11:59 pm MST. Be sure to leave your email or have it in your blogger profile so I can find you if you win. Open to residents of the US or Canada who are 18+. Winner will be selected by a true random generator. Winner must respond to winning email in 48 hours or a new winner will be selected. I received no compensation for this article. CSN Stores is sponsoring the giveaway.

Close To Home Event Kick-Off!!

We're so excited to have you here participating in our April blog event... "Close To Home Camping and Nature Art" Just in time to get ready for summer! To find out more about all the fun stuff we will be doing this month, please visit the Close To Home Event page for all the details and upcoming goodies. We'd like to start with a bang with our sponsor HealthyHikerGear.com ! Sound good? We think so. There are so many things to do and places to go for a vacation close to home. I've heard some refer to this as "staycationing". Camping, hiking, picnicking or even hanging out in the backyard with a fire pit and some marshmallows can be loads of fun for you and your families. This picture is one of my very most favorite places in the whole world to go and it's just over an hour away! There are so many products which make camping, picnicking and hiking easy and affordable and shopping is right at your fingertips. HealthyHikerGear.com is an onlin

Endo Review and Giveaway!

We're so excited to introduce you to Endo ! Endo is here for all your outdoor t-shirt needs with incredible graphic designs to wear. Cyclist? Camper? They're here for us all. Seriously, what's better than a bright yellow tee with a huge tricycle on it? Yes, a huge yellow real tricycle would be nice but hey, you couldn't wear that and it would undoubtedly be much harder to come by! We were happy to discover that the Endo t-shirt is longer than some which is definitely a bonus. You know, no risk of the bad "low rise jeans - shorter tee - don't bend over or sit" dilemma. It's also pretty dang soft and comfy. In addition to this great t-shirt, Endo also sent their logo tote bag. These kind of backpack tote bags, or "man bags" as all the local teens call them (because all the boys in junior high have them!) are perfect for a light backpack to carry a water bottle, camera, cell phone, snacks, etc., for an impromptu hike, nature walk

Sit-upon Tutorial By Rachel Beyer

As a former Girl Scout, I have lots of fun camp memories. I remember learning to tie knots, set up camp and to cook over the campfire. An essential Girl Scout tradition is making a sit-upon. A sit-upon is a homemade waterproof cushion. They are easy to make and I remember using them every time we did any activity while sitting on the bare ground, which most often was damp or scattered with uncomfortable sticks and pebbles. A sit-upon is great for sitting around the campfire, your backyard, or even a sporting event. There are lots of ways to make a sit-upon. When I was a Brownie Girl Scout, we made ours from old vinyl tablecloths and foam. But in a pinch, you can use a plastic garbage bag and a stack of old newspapers for padding. To revisit this simple craft project, I decided to use a roll of vintage vinyl wallpaper I found at a thrift store and some foam I bought at my local craft store. Essential Supplies: Waterproof Material (vinyl tablecloth, or other store-bought vinyl or

Artsy Chaos

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