A guest with some good, simple ideas.

Our guest today is from the super cute blog, A Craft a Day.  I first found Deidre's blog during her "Sew and Tell Challenge," where we had to create an outfit from upcycled clothing either thrifted or in our stash.  (I won't mention that I won... that would be bragging...)  Deirdre has all kinds of goodies on her blog - crafts and sewing, upcycled projects, tips and resources.  Did I mention she was the SYTYC season 3 WINNER???  Obviously, she's awesome.  And on top of it all, she's a professional photographer (which means this is her crazy busy season.  Good thing she could stop by anyway!)

Hi!  I'm Deidre from A Craft A Day!  I'm so excited to be sharing with you all today because this is a topic that fits our family to a T.  

Picnics are not just a once in a while thing for our family.  We often have a picnic at least once a week.  So, I'm going to share with you some of our favorite places to have picnics in our little lakeside town in Wisconsin.

Where we live there are LOTS of big hills along the shores of Lake Michigan which provide fabulous views and a lot of fun opportunities for our family.  We often pack a meal in a back pack and hike to a place to eat.  It's so fun for the kids to scope out a place for dinner or lunch.

We usually just put down our picnic blanket, made from this tutorial (but a bit bigger), right on the ground in a place that looks inviting.

And other times, we just use a nearby picnic table.  Just a tip... bring some disinfectant wipes with you.  Who knows who or what ate there before you!!!

And sometimes we have our picnic in a grassy park where we can run around and play games like tag or catch.

Our most common picnic place is in the grass outside of the COOLEST park EVER!  Possibility Playground in our little town or Port Washington, WI.  If you live in WI or plan to visit WI, it's worth checking out!  It's so fun you can plan on being there for hours... which is why we picnic there often!

So what kind of things do we eat?  We keep it simple!

The kids love their turkey sandwiches and veggies with hummus. 

Dan and I prefer a grown up sandwich.  This one was missing the veggies (just like my husband likes it... ugh... men).  Looks good though, right?  Here's what we do:

Buy a big loaf of ciabatta bread (our store was out so I used what I could find).  Cut it in half and spread pesto on one side (buy or make it) and olive tapenade on the other side.  Then, pile on the hard salami, some provolone, tomatoes, lettuce, and banana peppers.  Let it sit for a bit so the bread soaks up the juices.  It will be ready by the time you get to your picnic destination!

And for dessert we keep it simple.  I cut off the tops of the strawberries and hull them (cut out the middle) and fill them with whipped cream (the stuff in the can - not the best for you, but it's DESSERT!).  It's so simple and before I can finish filling the strawberries, my kids have them gone!

Keep the food simple and enjoy your time outside with the family!

First of all - thanks Deidre for taking some time to be with us!  Secondly, how awesome is that park?  Even without the awesome views of Lake Michigan, you can totally use these tips and ideas.  I love that picnics are a part of weekly life for Deidre's family - they don't have to be a huge affair, just some sandwiches and things packed away in a bag so you can enjoy the sunshine and the fresh summer air!  Basically, you don't need a whole lot to do a picnic right - blanket, no blanket... table, no table... lake, park, trees, whatever!  The point is to get outside and enjoy each other's company.  I love the simplicity of it all - and I, for one, will be trying out that sandwich!

*Be sure to check just below for all the fun parties I link to!