Camping at McClains State Park

I went camping last night at McClains State Park in Hancock, MI. The campground itself is nice, very big, with a great view of Lake Superior and the lighthouse. The wind coming off the lake during the afternoon left me chilled and apprehensive about how cold it would be sleeping in the tent in my cheap $10 sleeping bag, but by evening it had calmed down and it was actually a comfortable temperature for sleeping. The park has two miles of sand and rocky beach front, several play areas for children, trails for hiking, covered picnic areas, and a large campground area. There were a lot of people camping in everything from tents and popup campers to big travel trailers complete with a satellite dish.

We picked up firewood from a local private party along M-203 near the park who was selling wood in bundles for $2 a bundle. The price was good I felt, considering we had paid that for one bundle at Indian Lake State Campground earlier this summer. The seller added a rolled up old newspaper in the bundle of firewood which was really to my liking as on a previous camping trip I had purchased a newspaper for the sole purpose of starting a fire with it. The hot dogs were natural casing Vollerwerths hot dogs. Yummy! They were the best hot dogs I've had in a long time.

I enjoyed the hiking trails within the park, the view of Lake Superior as I sat on a two seater wooden bench overlooking the water, the lighthouse, and the friendly fellow campers. I loved reading my book by the campfire as my toes and legs kept toasty warm. All in all it was a good mini vacation.

Check out some of our vacation and camping T-shirts and gifts!

The Campfire Tshirts and Gifts by toddlersplace
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Daddy and I Go Camping Tshirts and Gifts by toddlersplace
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Girls Love Camping by toddlersplace
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CUSTOM BOY CAMPING Sticker by toddlersplace
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Stick Figures Tenting Tshirts and Gifts by stick_figures
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Camper Roasting Hot Dogs Tshirts and Gifts by stick_figures
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Stick Figure Floating Tshirts and Gifts by stick_figures
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Girls Will be Girls

Judging from this video of my granddaughter who is now three, it is evident she was already at one year old, interested in playing dress up, in jewelry, in clothing, in all things girlie girl. And yes, now just having turned three years old she is still quite the little lady. She has numerous net tutus, princess dresses and crowns, lots of pretty beads and hair clips, loves getting new clothes, and she announced to me just last night that her favorite color is pink. She's a girlie girl, and yet a little rough and tumble too. She loves babies and dollies, swing rides and going to the beach, Dora and the Doodlebops. Full of smiles and giggles, like most girls, even the older ones, she can't get excited without screaming. She finds joy in everything and is a joy to be around!

At Peacock Cards we have girlie girl Tshirts, tote bags, stickers, bodysuits, and much more for the little princess in your life. If you want one of our items personalized and need help doing so, you can email us at sales@peacockcards.com with your request and I'll be happy to personalize the item for you and send you a link for preview and order.

Girlie Girl by girl_stuff
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Pink Tiara Princess by girl_stuff
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Blond Little Princess by girl_stuff
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Heart Princess Stick Figure Tshirts and Gifts by stick_figures
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Princess in Carriage T-shirts and Gifts by stick_figures
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Princess Royalty by stick_figures
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Baby Princess Pink T-shirts and Gifts by toddlersplace
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CUSTOM PRINCESS BROWN Bag by toddlersplace
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Reading Rocks!

My post today regards reading. Even though it's summer and I profess not to being a book worm, I have lately yearned to sit in my yard in the shade of the next door neighbor's hedge and cement wall that separates our two yards and do some reading. My reading comes in spurts. I am very busy with work, family, and life in general so I don't read as much as I'd like to, and sometimes if I'm away from it for a time I almost forgot how much I really do enjoy it. Lately though I read a book and by the time I finished it, I found myself at Target looking for my next book to read. I do love the Target book club books! I bought one there, then when on a little day trip to see my Mom I went into the Bookworm, a used book store, and found myself buying two more. Yesterday I was at the Peter White Library in Marquette and they were having a used book sale and I bought three more, one being a Photoshop manual and the other two novels. I went to the library with my daughter and grandkids, and while there my grandson signed up for their summer reading program and then we sat together at a table just the right size for him but not so much for me, and he read me two books. Amazing! He can read! It's so cute to listen to a child read that hasn't read before. He has learned to sound out the words. His face lights up when he has trouble with a couple of words, then gets them, then pieces the whole sentence together. He has such a great imagination that I think once he can read everything, he's going to get lost in books. He's always loved being read to.

After being at the library I went to my boyfriend's house and together we put the 34 or so pieces of each of two adirondack chairs together. I can't take much credit for the chairs except for handing him screws and picking out the color of the stain. It is him who spent numerous hours cutting out all those pieces, sanding them, routing the edges, staining each piece and lightly sanding again so they are smooth as silk. You can see the finished product in the above photos. I love these chairs! They are comfy, they look absolutely beautiful in my yard, and most important, I now have a comfy, perfect place to read! I have new books, new chairs, and now I just need a nice sunny day not filled with work and errands to sit and relax and read. Last night before the Pioneer Days fireworks we sat side by side in our chairs and read. It was so peaceful getting lost in my book.

Kids and adults who love to read, who want to promote reading in their children or students, will love our reading theme T-shirts, buttons, magnets, keychains, stickers, mugs, and other items.

*If you are interested in purchasing one of these beautiful chairs, email me at sales@peacockcards.com and I'll have him email you back with price quotes!

Catch the Reading Bug Tshirts and Gifts by school_teacher
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Frog Reading is Fun T-shirts and Gifts by school_teacher
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Girl Smart Because I Read Tshirts and Gifts by school_teacher
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Book Worm Tshirts and Gifts by school_teacher
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Undersea Open a Book Tshirts and Gifts by school_teacher
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Red Apple Book Worm Tshirts and Gifts by school_teacher
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Learn to Read, Read to Learn by school_teacher
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Monkey I Can Read by school_teacher
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Pioneer Days Negaunee Michigan

It's Pioneer Days in Negaunee, Michigan this week July 3-10. Festivities include an Olde Town Festival held on July 3rd with music, lots of food and drinks, and games for the kids. Wednesday was the kids bike parade down Iron St. in Negaunee with a Kids Day after the parade at the Negaunee Ice Arena, offering games, food, and raffles. Other festivities for Wednesday included several high school reunions, a car cruise and sock hop, wine and cheese tasting, and the farmer's market at Jackson Mine Park. Thursday the festivities continue with more high school reunions, a cookout at Super One in Negaunee, and live music in the evening at both the Eagles and Elks clubs. The Pioneer princess pageant is also held Thursday as well as Social Night beginning 8 pm in downtown Negaunee. Friday brings a huge band concert at the Vista Theater along with live music once again in the evening at the Eagles and Elks clubs. Saturday is the big Pioneer Days parade at 11:30 am, Pioneer Days community picnic at Teal Lake, a firefighters tournament at Teal Lake, and fireworks over Teal Lake at dusk.
Ongoing activities include a softball tournament Monday through Friday with championships on Saturday, and Carp River Gardens is open all week as well.
Today I had the pleasure of watching the kid's parade and eating lunch afterward at the Midtown Bakery. The turnout for the kid's parade was good, with a lot more paraders than spectators! The kids seemed to have a blast riding their bikes and scooters, the younger set in wagons or decorated strollers. Lunch at the Midtown Bakery afterward was good. I had a turkey pesto panini sandwich that came with a pasta side and dill pickle. It was very good and I would definitely order one again. We browsed a couple of the antique stores on Iron Street and if you have not visited them yet and like antiques I would highly recommend them to you. I believe there are four wonderful antique stores all in a very small area, all loaded with lots of great treasures. After our lunch we drove to Carp River Gardens. I have been to the gardens several times in the past and it always takes my breath away as it is so beautiful. The greenery, waterfalls, and flowers can make you feel as one with nature, and the smell of flowers and fresh air exhilirates you. Calming and exhilirating all in one. It's located at a private residence and I think it's wonderful that they share its beauty each year with so many people. You can see a few photos I took today, but the pictures far from capture how beautiful it is. If you take a tour of the gardens, be prepared to sit a spell on one of the many benches, chairs, or on the swing and just take in sights, sounds, and smells.
If you haven't been to Negaunee yet this week for Pioneer Days, you might want to check it out for a good time!

Baseball, the All American Sport

If you love the sport of baseball you're in the company of thousands upon thousands of other baseball fans across the country and the world. Whether you are in a packed stadium watching professionals, listening to a game on your radio while sitting on the back porch, coaching your child in little league, or watching your grandson or granddaughter participating in their first year of tball if you love the sport, you're probably smiling.
My grandson played his second year of tball this summer and I can say without being a boasting grandparent that he is truly quite the batter! It amazes me when he steps up to bat and hits the ball from the batting machine on his first swing. It amazes me how hard he can hit the ball, and it amazes me how he's grown since I played baseball with him on the front lawn when he was two and three years old. Now at six years old, he loves baseball, soccer, and hockey. He loves to golf and loves to ski. He loves to ride his bike and is training for the kids Triathlon.
You can see some photos of him playing baseball and one of his biggest cheerleaders, his little sister. And if you continue to scroll down you can see some of the baseball items I have recently added to our Toddler's Place store and some of our baseball T-shirts, mugs, stickers, bags, and more from our Sport Shop.

Stick Figure I Play Baseball Tshirts and Gifts by toddlersplace
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BASEBALL Blond Boy Tshirts and Gifts by toddlersplace
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Baseball Rocks T-shirts and Gifts by toddlersplace
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Baseball Slugger T-shirts and Gifts by toddlersplace
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Frog Baseball Batter Up Tshirts and Gifts by toddlersplace
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Bumblebee Baseball My Sport Tshirts and Gifts by toddlersplace
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Green Baseball All Star Tshirts and Gifts by sport_shop
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Baseball What Else T-shirts and Gifts by sport_shop
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Born to Play Baseball Tshirts and Gifts by sport_shop
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4th of July Weekend

4th of July was a wonderful! We had a backyard barbeque yesterday evening with some family members and later watched the fireworks from my backyard. We had the firepit burning and roasted hot dogs and made s'mores, plus feasted on chips and home made guacamole and salsa and other snacks. We hid balloons that contained coins in the backyard for the six kids that attended the party and they had a blast doing those little popits on the sidewalk in front of the house. By the time the fireworks were over we were all very tired but happy. It was a great night!
I went to the Marquette parade yesterday as my grandson and son in law were in the parade. I watched it with my daughter and granddaughter in the sun at temps reaching over 90 degrees. On Friday I went to a festival in downtown Ishpeming that had a lot of sidewalk vendors selling everything from carnival type toys, hand made crafts, wood carved items, beautiful framed photos, and lots of hot dogs, nachos, and cold water and pop. The kids enjoyed snow cones and ice cream bars and had a blast in the big bounce tent, blow up slide, and on the pony rides. They won some trinkets doing the fishing game and basketball game. Another nice time had by all.
Today was a quiet day, spending the morning cleaning up a bit after last nights backyard barbeque, then later took a ride to Munising and spent ample amount of time walking along the beach of Lake Superior on the way there. Once in Munising we found a little roadside park and found a spot high on a hill overlooking the water. I sat and read a book for about an hour, enjoying it immensely as I barely have time to read and it felt so wonderful to do so, there in the semi-shade with the view of lake superior, the water a green/blue today, the air so fresh, and no bugs biting me. And although I can hear the distant popping of fireworks in neighboring cities, I chose to forego fireworks tonight and get an early rest so I can wake up refreshed and get some work done tomorrow.
All in all it was a nice 4th of July holiday, the best part spending time with family and friends. Here's a few photos of my 4th of July weekend. He loved the festival and truly enjoyed the ponies!

It was a very hot day for a parade with temps reaching well into the 90s!

After the parade, she cooled off by spraying herself with water and loving every moment of it. So many smiles and giggles as she sent the soft spray of cool water into her face.

All dressed up in patriotic red, white, and blue to be in the parade!

One of my favorite evenings this weekend was spent watching the sunset at black rocks in Marquette at Presque Isle. It's so beautiful there on a warm, calm, summer night.