Campfires and Cleats: September 2016

Monday, September 26, 2016

How to Bless Two Amazing Ministries in South Africa with The Five Miniute Friday Book: NOW Available! #fmf

For years, I've been privileged to be part of a brave, impressive and

surprising tribe writer community called Five Minute Friday.

Anyone can join!

Just click over to Kate's any Friday.

You're always invited and always welcome!
Just grab your notebook and pencil or open the draft tab of your blog,

set your timer for 5 and get writing on the weekly prompt!

A few months ago, the idea was launched to compile the #fmf stories

into a book, which was undertaken by one of our own, Susan,

sent countless hours organizing and readying the stories

for boof form (Thank you Susan!)

and t-o-d-a-y,

The Five Minute Friday Book is available for purchase!

The book contains glimpses of hearts:

many stories, many peeks into writers' souls,

all written in five minutes flat.

~~ I'm honored that one of my stories is included within~~

And here's the absolute, best part:

When you buy the book you're supporting

two vital ministries in South Africa!

All profits from the book will be divided equally between

two ministries in South Africa:

The Vine School in Cape Town, and The Ten Dollar Tribe!

SO what do you say?

Grab the book, support essential ministries, enrich your life!
And join us for #FMF this Friday and every Friday!

Image result for home themed blog post dividers shabby blogs

Friends, as always,

thank you for stopping over and

spending some of your precious time

here at my home on the web!

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Until next time

~Chris

Saturday, September 24, 2016

5 Essentials for Your Next Camping Trip or: All Rain Flies are Not Created Equal

It's been a while my friends...I've missed you!
The start of the school year and the rhythm of routine have been my
focus lately. SO happy to find time to be here in my space with you.......

So..... traveling, sightseeing, exploring this beautiful land of ours, huh?
If you had told me two decades ago
that at some time in the future I'd sort of consider myself
on expert on camping - - of all things,
or that all of us would have camped clear
across the continent in 41 states and
from the bottom of the Grand Canyon,
to the edge of a glacier, in and around
about three dozen national parks and battlefields
and, of course,
in high style << ahem>> at full service camping "resorts,"
I would probably have assumed
someone hit you over the head with a brick.
I was never a prima donna by any means
when it came to lodging accommodations.
But setting out to travel the open road and make camp in a different
state or national park or forest on any given night ?
Not a life sized picture I carried in my head.
However,
exploring with the family from sea to shining sea
would not be doable at all,
if not for throwing that piece of rolled up nylon
and a batch of sleeping bags
into the van to cross the country.
Truth is, not only is camping the affordable option
when it comes to travel
anywhere - - -and I mean anywhere because we've done it - -
the advantages of camping and the benefits of travel in this way
simply cannot be lived by staying in a plush Marriott off the interstate.....
Not that that doesn't sound pretty enticing some nights, trust me.
Speaking f which, here's my list of
5 Tips to Frugally Taking That Cross Country Trip
and my column, The Top 5 Ways Changes You

So, whether you've camped as a kid, with your 20 something buddies
years ago before parenthood, as a mom or dad with your own clan,
or never ever ----here's what you need to
make an overnight or a month on the road safe and enjoyable:

~ 1 ~

Sundome 4 person tent

Coleman is truly the name in outdoor gear for a reason.
They're not the cheapest, but they are the best.
The small nuances of this personal "cabin"
will keep you protected, dry and warm, be your
sleeping accommodations for ever and here's the thing to keep in mind:
It costs less than one night on the road.

Another Coleman special.
Glacier National Park, 2011

~ 2 ~

Coleman lantern: LED - not propane

Whatever you do, don't get a lantern that is powered by propane
and uses those old style mantles. Please.
If you already have an older lantern
and you just need the mantle refills....
okay then...... here you go.

Otherwise, please make your camping trip as convenient as possible with
this new invention called: batteries! Ha
THIS lantern throws 40 lumens of light,
runs 175 hours and uses 4D batteries.

It's a must-have!

.......and how cute are these mini Coleman lantern lights too?

LED decorator lights that actually do throw light in your yard or campsite!

~ 3 ~

Flannel lined sleeping bag

Nope this one's not Coleman , but I truly love it and Ive had it for eons.

It's warm, water proof and sooooo comfy.

Machine washable too.

Some nights I really feel like this sleeping bag is

even more comfortable than my bed!

You might want to pick up one of these sleep pads for added

comfort in those pebble-ish, hard-ish

campsites you'll encounter once in a while.

Coleman Silverton Tall Self Inflating Camp Pad

~ 4 ~

Up to date atlas and compass

I know, I know, there's an app for that.

I'm showing how old I really am listing these as necessities.

Truth be told, they are.

Two reasons why:

A. What if you <gasp> cannot access the WWW

from some isolated spot?

(These spots do exist.)

and

B. Do you really want your kids to grow up

not knowing how to truly navigate?

We're not talking about possessing the skills of Ferdinand Magellan,

just the ability to open a map,

find your location and get from point a to point b.

~ 5 ~

Coleman Camping stove

We've had ours for years. It seems indestructible.

Has wind block "panels" and 20K BTUs of cooking power.

Comes with a hose to easily attach to your mini propane tank

In addition to the above,
here's my list of 5 personal essentials you might like to consider
bringing along on the next camping trip.

Happy Camping!!