Camping at Hogback Lake

You've been able to take a little peek at our vacation, with yesterday's pictures from our canoeing trip.

We have come to this same campground for 3 years in a row, and each year we make plans to come back. If you were looking for a beautiful place to camp in the northeastern Indiana area, I would say look no further!

On the side of the river, canoeing

We are getting no compensation for this post, nor does the campground know I am posting about them! We just love this campground, and will visit it for many years to come. We also want to share some of our vacation pictures with you!

You can find Circle B Campground on US Highway 20, in Indiana, just west of Angola, Indiana.

Taking a swim break from canoeing

Circle B is a clean campground, with activities within the campground. There are paddle boats, canoes, or you can bring your own boat! There is a nice beach area. There are playgrounds for the kids, yes I said playgrounds. Plural. You can rent bikes or golf carts. The camp store is nice, there are even arcade games for kids there. You can fish. And fish. And fish!

Back from fishing!

The summer crowd who stay there all summer are a very nice bunch, even if you happen to have 4 crazy little boys. I can't tell you how many time people are so nice in giving us things like worms to go fishing, or their golf cart!

This week in August most kids are back to school, so there isn't much of a crowd here during the week. Weekends come and there are more campers, but it is so nice!

Some of the camp sites

The campground also provides activities like crafts for the kids, fish fry's, NASCAR weekends, and more.

More campsites, with permanent campers

Tomorrow is our last day here, but once again we have some great memories made at Circle B Campground at Hogback Lake!

Enjoy some more pics from our vacation:

One of the nice bathhouses

Beach in the morning

Fish Cleaning Station

Canoe Trip

Handsome hubby on the Beach

Beach Baby

Oh MAN! Dirty Camping Baby...

Happy kids & mom

So, as our camping comes to a close this year, we can reflect on all of the fun things that happened. Then in a day from now, I can enjoy the weeks worth of laundry and my own bed... Ah... Back to normal.

Sore Backs and Happy Kids

One tired canoer

Yesterday we decided to go on our first (all 6 of us!) canoeing trip. We have canoed as a couple, and as 4 family members. Hubby even took 3 boys for the past 2 years. But this year we decided to go all out. All 4 boys, even the 2 year old, who can't sit still...

Daddy and 4 boys

This story doesn't end in an upset canoe, believe it or not! It ends with 4 happy little boys and 2 parents with sore backs... but it was worth it!

Lunch time! Mama and 4 boys

We are having a great time on our little camping trip! The weather has been wonderful and the camping here is always a great experience! I will be posting more on our trip tomorrow (including where we are staying, if you ever drop by the northeastern Indiana area)! Until then, have a beautiful day!

Gone Campin'

One thing my boys have counted on doing for several summers now, is camping. They LOVE this campground that is actually about 5 minutes away from our house (which is nice! We can still do our chores!)

Well, we are THERE today through next Wednesday or Thursday! Camping! So, I will try to post some things, BUT I am spending some precious last days with my boys BEFORE they start school. Maybe we will catch some fish for dinner! Swim in the Lake. Or ride our bikes 'till our legs hurt. Whatever we will do, it's so nice to be spending it with family....

Pictures to come!

HEALTHY CAMP FOOD: Graham Cracker Recipe!

Sorry for the delay on posting. I had another virus on my computer, same as I got about 6-8 months ago. Thankfully I now have a program to get rid of that program, should it come around again! Thank you to my friend Richard!!!

I have been wondering for about a year now, how we can making camping HEALTHIER. It has been habit that when we go camping, we need a whole different menu of food. And I shutter at this! Chips, snacks, bottled water, fried food... We have always in the past gone for the prepackaged, pre-made while camping.

If you are like me, you want this to change!

My sister gave me a recipe the other day that got me thinking: Could we do a HEALTHIER CAMPING TRIP? I need your help friends! I need your healthy camp recipes!

I also, though, have one to share! The recipe my sister gave me, Graham Crackers! YUM! I literally could eat all of these myself. We made a double batch, and they lasted less than 5 days...

Graham Crackers
1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour (I also make sure this is unbleached.)
1 C. whole wheat flour
1/2 C. untoasted wheat germ (I didn't have this but I used ground flax)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 C. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 C. packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flours, wheat germ, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar and honey. Mix at medium speed 2-3 minutes. Reduce to low speed and add the flour mixture until combined.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Roll out until 1/8 in. thick. Cut into squares. Optional: press 4 small holes in the cookie to look like a "real" graham cracker.

Put Parchment paper on baking sheet, then add grahams. Place cooking sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes. Then take out and bake for 8-9 minutes.

*** This can be more of a soft version of the real thing, unless you wanted to bake it longer. try it both ways. I liked the slightly soft better! Mmmm!

So, now I need YOUR help! DO you have healthy camp recipes to share??? PLEASE SHARE!!!

More Pictures from Camping

We are home now, with more memories and some good pictures. You always learn so much more from your children and about them when you are on vacation. No one HAS TO do anything, so you just all hang out, talking, telling stories and being silly. (We have a lot of the being silly part!)

Deklyn , Austin & Caden are well on their way to being good fishermen! And they loved it. And they got pretty good at it according to dad.

So here are some of the precious and some of the silly pictures, of our camping trip.

Camping

One of our FAVORITE things to do as a family, is to go camping. Hubby and I have enjoyed it for years, and now our boys also love it as much as we do. Our camping has evolved over the years, as the family grew and as needs changed. We started out in a 3 person tent (It had to have been 3 very small people). Then we stepped it up to a 2 room tent. It fit Hubby, Deklyn and I just fine! We had that until, I think just after Caden was born. The rocks in our backs were getting to be too much, as we are getting a LITTLE older. Then we graduated to our current camping home, the pop-up. The only thing the pop-up has that the tent didn't, is electric. Well, and the beds aren't on the ground. There is no running water, no sink, no A/C, and not really any room! Basically, it is just a place to sleep. But we love it. Last year, though, we were slightly cramped in our pop-up. This year the bigger boys have already went camping. Koen and I stayed home because I didn't want to take my little babe out in the elements just yet.

Well, this week, we are all camping. But, we are kind-of cheating. We borrowed my in-laws camper. An actual camper. With a slide out, A/C, running water, potty, shower, fridge, and enough beds for everyone. The works, as we call it in the camping world... well, I don't really know what they would call that in the camping world but for this stage in our lives (with a baby in tow) it is a little easier!

So far, the boys have been riding bikes ( which seems to be a lost art in camping these days), they have been down at the beach building sand castles, and fishing. They love fishing. They went the first night and didn't catch anything. But they left early the next morning and were able to catch several. Caden told me yesterday, he wanted to catch a 'big wappa' (aka- big whopper) That boy, I tell you what.... you tell him to catch some fish, he'll catch some fish. You tell him to play this nearly impossible-to-win-game for a prize, in 3 tries, and he will win it in 2. You play a board game with him, and you, as an adult, better be prepared to lose. He says out loud what he wants to roll, or what he wants to happen, and IT DOES. And he gets so bored with all of the above.... I guess it's lonely at the top.

We also had blueberry pancakes, with some blueberries that we picked this year. Mmmmmmm! The food that comes along with camping can be so awesome! We also brought over potatoes from our garden and cut them up, put them over the fire and oh man.... delicious! That is one of our favorites!

Well, school starts next week and summer is drawing to a close. Our one last hoo-rah for the summer has been very fun. We have loved it so much, we would like to get a permanent spot out here, at the Circle B Campground in Angola. It's been a joy to have some family out this week, and hopefully we can do it all over again next summer!