Friday Faves #25-Pack a Picnic Basket!

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     School is starting in Phoenix on August 7th! Wow! It starts earlier every year!  But, I don't have anyone starting school. My youngest graduated from High School and he isn't starting college yet because he is first going to serve a 2 year mission for our church.  So, I have hit this weird stage of having no children in school.  You must understand that my oldest child started kindergarten in 1987.  I have been sending children to school for decades! I taught school as a substitute teacher for many of those years.  School has been a huge part of my life.  Now, that has all changed.
     Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying the stage of life I am in now, but I have been feeling a sense of nostalgia as I think about all of those years of finishing up our last week or two of summer before school started again.  Unlike many parents, I always loved the summer with my children and we tried to take in as much fun as possible before school started again. 

      One of the things we liked to do with our kids was to head up to cooler climates in the mountains and pack a picnic with us.  (Picnics in August in Phoenix are not very enjoyable.)  This picture is of a picnic we took in Utah when we were dropping Lindsey off at college.  Everyone looks a lot different now.

     So, all of that being said, a few days ago I was looking at an article on ShareASale, one of our affiliate networks, about what people like to take on picnics.  I decided to ask my girls what they liked to put in their picnic baskets! So, for Friday Faves #25...

What are your favorite picnic items?

• Sandwich fixings! As you can see in the photo above, we are building sandwiches.  Alicia says that there has to be long sliced sandwich dill pickles.  She, Madalynn and my husband especially love pickles on their sandwiches. 
• Potato Salad! That is Maddy's choice.  I posted my tried and true recipe here.  Or, you can go to Panna and learn to make this New Potato Salad with Fennel and Green Peas! Yum!  While you are there, you can sign up for your free trial! 
• Dessert! You may not eat dessert at every meal, but at a picnic it is pretty much mandatory.  LIndsey says she loves cookies.  We have some great cookie recipes here and here. 
• I love fried chicken at a picnic!  Panna has many delicious chicken options on their site!  I think that this recipe for fried chicken and mashed potatoes by Jonathan Waxman looks so good! 

     Aside from the food, there a some other must-haves when you go picnicking!  

• A good picnic basket or cooler is necessary when traveling to your picnic destination.  Here are a few good options from our affiliate Amazon.  Just click the pictures to find out more.

•  A good picnic blanket is great to have for sitting and resting on and enjoying the weather! Sometimes a nap is in order.  Look at these cute options from Amazon and Etsy! Once again, the pictures are clickable.

•  Speaking of naps, a hammock is always nice to put up.  Look at my cute little grandson enjoying one! 

It is hard to believe he is already 2 years old. This day seems like yesterday!

•   We didn't just lay around and nap on these day trips!  Lindsey remembers our badminton set.  Maddy was always really good at archery.

• One of our favorite places to go is where there is water to play in.  A swimming hole at Wet Beaver Creek in AZ is one of our favorite spots.  We have had so many fun days there.

It has a great swimming hole!

We bring lots of floaties!

We love the red rocks in the area. The water is nice and cold!

     As you can tell, I can go on and on about the fun to be had on a picnic day trip! Our family loves to get together and have fun!  If it is cool enough, Don't forget the roasting sticks for marshmallows! You can order telescoping roasting sticks from Dollar Tree and have them delivered for free to your nearest store.  They come in units of 4 for $4! Or, try the Stuff'em Sticks that I talked about in this post.
     Whew! That is a lot of favorites! Tell us, What do you put in your picnic basket?  We would love to know!  And please, enjoy your last few days of summer vacation with your kids! Before you know it, those days will only be memories.  Make them good ones!