7.16.2020

Shadow Box Memories

Most memory boxes that I have seen on the internet are exactly that, boxes.  I wanted a box that I could see all of the items I have saved over the years to remind me of those memories.  What's the point of saving items if you are going to just throw it in a box and never look at it again? 

I purchased a shadow box from Michaels with a glass front and figured it would be a great way to see my memories every time I walk past it. When we all were forced to work and be home, I took time every day cleaning different places around the house.  I found a box of tickets and stubs that I was going to scrapbook, but never did and was excited to place them in my living room for all to see.  




I have years and years worth of items that I have saved.  Each ticket puts a smile on my face and warms my heart.  Just looking at each one takes me back to that time in our family history.  

I used my handy dandy Cricut to cut some vinyl to place on the glass of the shadow box, with the saying, Oh the places we've been...the things we've seen...

I placed the items in the box in no particular order, but trying to put the smaller items in the front and larger in the back.  Every single ticket, or stub, may not be seen, but at least  they aren't sitting in a closet where they are forgotten about.  Now every time I walk into my living room I get to be reminded of all of the fun things we have done over the years, and even spark conversations with the kids and friends that come over and see the box.  The great thing about these shadowboxes is that they come in all different sizes and they are a great width to places several items in.  Boxes don't have to just be stubs and tickets; shirts, shot glasses, anything you pick up while on your travels could possibly be put in.  I hope that you enjoy this item and try it out as well. Happy Memories!


7.07.2020

Kid Approved Tasty Snack

I love when I come across recipes that are simple, delicious, good for you, and especially kid approved!  I go through phases where I eat super healthy, and then eat whatever I feel like.  When I decide to eat healthy, I bring the entire family along for the ride as well.  Sometimes the kids try to put up a fight, but once they've tried whatever I've made they love it!  

My kids will tell me they hate something I make, even if they haven't tried it.  They will be grossed out by one ingredient, and assume that the entire dish is disgusting.  When they were little they would eat everything and anything before they had an opinion, wow, I miss those days.  

One day I was looking around for a healthy snack that would be simple enough for the kids could make, healthy enough for us all to eat, and delicious enough for us all to enjoy.  I came across an oatmeal ball that only had 5 ingredients, all of which I already had in the house.  Win win!!  The great part of this recipe is that it has simple, yet good for you ingredients, and as long as nobody has any allergies, you have a healthy snack! 

What you'll need:

2 cups Oats
1 cup Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Honey
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (you could substitute other treats such as M&M's, Heath, the sky's the limit)


My little guy wanted to make them all by himself this time, so I let him have at it.  I feel that a child that has say and participation in the things they do, they are more likely to enjoy what they are doing.
Once all of the ingredients are mixed together well with a spoon, he used a cookie baller and placed them on a sheet of wax paper so that they don't stick.  After they are all rolled, place in the refrigerator to set for about 20 minutes, then enjoy.  

You can keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, but ours never make it that long. These are a great healthy treat to take on car rides as well.  If you have any quick and easy healthy treats, I would love for you to share them with me. 
Enjoy!

6.25.2020

Fiesta Friday- Teremana Tequila

Do you enjoy tequila?  Do you have one you like, but not love?  Have you tried several different ones?  That's me, I try different liquors, and sometimes I'm like, yum, we'll be buying more, and other times I'm like, damn, I wasted my money on that.  Nonetheless I am one of those people that hates to waste anything, so I suffer through the rest of the bottle ready for it to be gone.  

With all of the Covid crazy, I was at the liquor store and happened to find a bottle of Teremana on the shelf.  I usually don't purchase anything that a celebrity has their name on, but it's The Rock, so I figured what the heck.  The very first shot I took was chilled and to be honest, it burnt all the way down.  I did not enjoy it, and thought oh no, here we go again.  After letting it sit on the shelf for a couple weeks a friend of mine came over and I decided to give it a try again, this time it was not chilled.  WOW!  That was the smoothest tequila shot ever!!  I've always been a Patron fan, but it's always been one of those bottles we purchase when we have a little play money.  After trying the Teramana, I don't know that I will ever go back to Patron.  

Once we finished the bottle of the Blanco Teremana, we searched and searched for the Reposado.  It was nowhere to be found.  It took months to finally find a bottle of the Teremana Reposado.  Now, after trying both, it is truly hard to say which one I like better.  Both tequila go down smooth, they both have a nice taste to them, and neither of them leave you with that cheap tequila after taste.  So I would have to say, good job Dwayne Johnson this is a fine tequila, and my new favorite!  If you get the chance, try it and enjoy!  Cheers!


6.23.2020

Vintage cart makeover

I am a sucker for old furniture and vintage pieces.  I love going to an antique mall or flea market and finding an amazing piece that can be used for something other than it's intended purpose.  Most of the time I have to have something in mind before I am going to just go out and buy an old piece.  Before Covid struck, my husband and I had been talking about purchasing a cart to store liquor on.  We looked and looked, but nothing really tickled our fancy, plus we wanted something that would look great in our kitchen with our vintage table.  

We were so excited when North Carolina began letting small businesses open.  After watching Facebook for weeks, the antique mall that we wanted to check out was finally open.  To limit our exposure to others, we went right when they opened and wore our masks.  This particular antique mall is huge! It takes hours to get through and has just about everything an antique lover would want.  After spending an hour searching for a piece that would work, we found it, tucked under a bunch of knick knacks.  We looked around a little longer, but went back for the cart that would become our liquor cart.  

We got it home, looked it over, and began the stripping process.  I honestly don't understand why people paint beautiful pieces instead of just cleaning them up to their original glory.  As they say though, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.  I always get really excited when I begin these projects.  I can see what I want even through all of the layers of paint.  Here is the cart at the beginning of it's transformation.
Pretty ugly isn't it?  After hours and hours of using paint stripper, the red paint still wasn't coming up.  We had to break out the grinder to get off the stubborn red paint that did not want to be stripped off.  We used chrome polish and a lot of elbow grease.  After about three days of working on this red painted, vintage cart, the finished product in my opinion is beautiful!  It looks amazing in our kitchen, and does a great job accenting my grandma's table.  I may not always like doing the work, but I always love the end product.  

6.18.2020

Virtual Learning/ Homeschool

I am so thankful that this year's virtual learning is OVER!  That had to be the longest 3+ months ever.  My day job is a math teacher.  I would say that so much has changed since  I began teaching many, many years ago.  Not just the technology part, but the way parents and students treat you as a professional, but that is an entirely separate post.   

Everyday beginning March 16th, teaching took on another whole meaning.  I love my children with all of my heart, but I was not meant to be a homeschool teacher!!  Trying to teach my own children was the pits!!  We turned our living room into a classroom for the four of us. 

We decided that even though we were going to be home daily, we were going to stick to a schedule, and continue to make it a normal school day.  The boys woke up, ate breakfast and began their schoolwork at 8am daily.  The oldest would get frustrated because most of his teachers didn't put his work up until almost 11am.  It also frustrated me because on a normal day school didn't start that late, so why shouldn't work be online by normal school hours?  Somedays this was a good thing because I would be finished with work, so I was able to see what he was doing.  



The middle child was the best!  He loves school, his teacher and even doing schoolwork.  He would work quickly and quietly daily.  Most days he would have zoom meetings with his teacher and classmates which made it good for him to see someone other than his brothers.  He would occasionally ask me to look over his math or what he had written because he wanted to double check that it was all correct.  This is my child that wants to be a surgeon, he is very meticulous, 



Then there is Mean Machine! We nicknamed him that many years ago, and he often reminds us why we call him that still today!  He and I would battle daily!! He would scream and cry he hated reading, or writing, and I didn't know what I was talking about in math.  Seriously?  It's second grade work and I'm a teacher.  I'm pretty sure I can handle helping with second grade.  For the first two weeks I wanted to rip my hair out of my head. I FaceTimed his sweet teacher one day and asked if that was how he behaved for her.  She was shocked!  She informed me that he never once cried or threw himself on the floor in frustration over work, and that he did it without much help or guidance at all. I'm glad he has never showed out in class, but it made me crazy daily doing it at home.  After two weeks of his nonsense, I finally expelled him from "my classroom" and made him sit with his dad.  From that day forward I didn't hear a peep out of him during "school."  Really?? 


For years my two oldest would ask to be homeschooled.  After this virtual learning experience, we all realized that homeschooling wasn't for us!  I can't imagine if this continues into next school year.  I love my own kids, but teaching at school in front of other peoples' children is so much easier!  I do think that this experience has shown a lot of people that teaching isn't as easy as some believe.  It has shown many that virtual learning takes time, patience and true self determination to understand the new way of learning and to get it completed.  

I would say that many great things did come out of this mess we call Covid-19.  We were able to teach our children outside of the box.  Field trips were learning opportunities that we experienced with them, teaching them the importance of each trip, moment and practice.  I am thankful we have been able to spend this time together, but all of this needs to clear up so we can all go back to school! If not, there will be more posts that hopefully help us all get through this together! 

6.16.2020

U-pick farms

Have you ever been to a u-pick farm?  I don't think there is anything more tasty than using fresh from a garden, sea or farm products.  I know that might sound crazy.  How does it taste any different than from the store?  I feel that when it's fresh, the true taste of it comes out.  

With Covid-19 everywhere, going to a grocery store the past few months has been nerve racking.  We decided to get the boys out of the house at the end of May and take them to one of our local u-pick farms.


We love fresh strawberries, they are juicy, and beautiful!  I love that we can get as much as we want knowing they are all the perfect berry!  Nothing is more frustrating than going to the store and purchasing a pint of fresh berries then going to use them the next day, and there are a few already bad.  When picking your own, you can't blame anyone but yourself for the ripeness of each berry.  

When we take the boys to a u-pick farm, we tell them what to look for when picking a particular item.  For example, we tell them to not pick the strawberry that has a green top because they aren't quite ready to pick,  check for rotten spots, an occasional taste test is ok, but don't eat them all, we have to pay for them.
 
With a u-pick farm, nobody is touching that fruit or vegetable but yourself.  We still wash them thoroughly, but I feel there is less chance of any type of contamination.  When we were there, there was hardly anyone in the field, and we were all spaced more than 6 feet apart.

Wherever we move to, one of the first things I look for are the local u-pick farms.  There is a great website that you can go to and it pulls up any state's farms, you can check it out here.
I love the fact we are supporting local farmers. We are spending time as a family outside, and we are teaching our children about the environment and sustainability.  I hope that you find a farm near you and enjoy the freshness of a delicious picked item.  

6.11.2020

Kings Mountain State Park, South Carolina

Thank goodness it's camping season again!  After being stuck in the house for the past three months, working, helping the kids with their school work,  non-stop cleaning and wearing masks to the grocery store, I needed a break!! We booked Kings Mountain State park in South Carolina for a quick, peaceful trip, and that it was.  

Kings Mountain sits in the beautiful Piedmont region of South Carolina.  It is located 40 miles southwest of Charlotte in York County, and is a great campground if you want peace and quiet.

Like most state parks, there is only 30 amp hook-up, which usually isn't a problem if you don't need to run two air conditioners.  All sites are packed gravel, with no concrete pads available.  They do not have full hook-ups, but sites include water and electric with two dump stations on your way out.  The campground has several bathhouses, all of which seemed to be kept clean.  The sign on the door read only 3 people in at a time, but typically I was the only one in the one closest to our site.  

Kings Mountain Campground has: 115 standard sites for RV's and tents
10 tent only sites
15 equestrian campsites
30 miles of equestrian trails 
20+ miles of hiking trails

There is a little pond for fishing, but if you ask my kids, there weren't any fish in it because they didn't catch anything.  Be sure to bring your bug spray if you decide to fish as there are a lot of mosquitoes!  


Located near the campground is Kings Mountain National Military Park, a Revolutionary War battle site.  Throughout the year you may be able to see reenactments.  The trail throughout the park is paved, and you can complete a self guided tour with highlights of battle events throughout.

When we went, the hiking trails were closed due to debris from a storm.  This didn't keep us from hiking.  Crowders Mountain is a short drive from the campground with great hiking and breathtaking views.  After downloading the All Trails app, and researching our options, we decided to attempt the Rocktop trail.  This trail was 6 miles and three hours long.  
There were some steep spots, and rocky terrain, but when you get to the overlook at the summit, it was completely worth it!!  Be sure to bring plenty of water.  I saw several people without any and they were sitting down complaining of cramping of legs and very dehydrated.  

If you enjoy camping, and are ready for a trip outside of your house, this is a great place to go.  You will be able to sit back, relax and simply enjoy nature.  





6.24.2019

Motivation Monday- Home workouts that work!

Good Monday morning all!  I hope everyone had a wonderfully relaxing weekend! 

A little background about myself.  I am a mom of three very active boys, a wife, a middle school teacher and a coach.  Needless to say, I don't stop.  There were a few years that I spent all of my time taking care of my boys and put myself on the back burner.  It was a choice I made that I look back on and wish I would have taken a small amount of time taking care of myself not only physically, but mentally.  I think we all make excuses as to why we don't have time to workout or do the things that we love to do. 

Back in 2013, my husband and I worked out to Tony Horton's P90X3.  It is a 30 minute full body workout.  Once we put the kids to bed, we spent time together getting in the best shapes of our lives.  I used to think there was no way working out at home to a video would work, but it did, and not only did we look pretty good, we felt amazing. 


Jump ahead to present day.  I have tried other things in the past few years.  I've gone to Burn Bootcamp, spin classes at various places, gyms, and nothing quite has been the same.  I think that I have just not been in the right mindset to get back to the body that I love, or that feeling of I can do it, until about 3 weeks ago.  My sister called me and said, "ok, enough is enough you are going to join Beachbody as a Coach, and we are going to do this together.  You are going to be accountable for not only yourself but others too.  We've got this."  I love my sister!   I had been watching her transform her body though Beachbody and have been amazed at her transformation.  She has always been a tiny thing, but she is now packing visible muscle.

So here I am.  I started Liift 4, and three weeks later, I feel stronger.  I have upped my weights, I'm starting to see changes and I feel better.  I haven't quite talked my husband into joining me again yet, but it's coming, he just doesn't know it. (hehe) 

I want to challenge my readers that haven't tried Beachbody yet.  I would love for you to join me.  To stop making excuses like we all do, and to get into the best shape of our lives together.  You don't need to spend $70 a month at a gym to get fit.  You can workout in the comfort of your own home without feeling judged and at anytime of day that works for you. You just have to decide that you are ready and you would like to join me.   If you are interested or have questions, please feel free to email me here.

6.17.2019

Motivation Monday

Monday, the day we start fresh from all the junk we eat over the weekend.  Why do we do this to ourselves?  We have a great week eating, working out and staying on track, then the weekend comes around and your out and about, off your schedule and BAM!  Bad food choices, no healthy snacks, and not enough water. 


I always start my Saturday out with a good breakfast, then it goes downhill from there.  I wouldn't say that I eat bad food, I think I just over eat the food I have.  For example, I get hungry and pop some nuts in my mouth, which in all honesty is a pretty good choice, until I go back and have another handful or two.  Or I have a little more than a bowl full of fruit.  Like I said, seemingly good choices, but the fat in the nuts or the sugar in the fruit becomes a bit to much.  I try to remember this saying.

Weekends are also a horrible time for myself to not get enough water in .  I pour myself water, and that cup lasts me half the day, where during the week my first cup of water is down by 10 am and I refill it throughout the day.  My husband made me the most amazing water bottle this weekend that I will be sharing soon.


With all of this being said I'm going to do better at keeping track this week.  I bought an adorable fitness tracker by Create 365, and I am going to stay on top of it.  When I lost my weight back in 2013 and was in the best shape of my life, I kept track of everything in a small fitness tracker.  I find that if I write it down I am more accountable with my food and exercise.  There are some nice apps out there, but I want to be able to flip back through my journal and see what I did right, and where I went wrong.  Also, if it's written down, I can go back in the future and remember what worked. 


With all of this being said.  I hope you have a great week.  Drink 1/2 your body weight in water a day, exercise daily, eat healthy, be happy and work hard.


Pics from Gymquotes.com and google

6.13.2019

Childhood Cancer and how life changes

Where to begin?  Life has been crazy to say the least since the last time I wrote.  It only takes one moment to realize that life is short and can change in a blink of an eye.  On June 7th, 2015 our world stopped for a brief moment and has been forever changed.  Here is the story.


Casonʼs initial ear pair started in March of 2015. He would complain that if it got hit, it hurt. Of course, being that it only hurt when it got hit, we didnʼt think much about it. Heʼs a boys boy, and is always rough housing with his brothers.

In May, on his face next to his left ear, he began to show signs of swelling. I called the pediatrician, and he said that is typically an inner ear infection. After 7 days on an antibiotic and no change in the swelling, I called an ENT. I couldnʼt get him in on the Friday I called, so they called in a stronger antibiotic, and said theyʼd call back on Monday. When Monday rolled around, the swelling was worse, and was now closer to his eye. They got him in the next day to see what was going on.

The ENT at Nationwide Childrenʼs in Columbus ran test after test. They scoped his nose, checked his ears, and found nothing. They decided to do an ultrasound, they called the next day because they saw something, but werenʼt sure what. They scheduled a CT scan for Friday June, 5. The doctor said pack a bag for a couple of nights, itʼs probably a cyst that will need drained, and heʼd have to be monitored.

We went for his CT at 7am. They took us to the CT room where they had to put an IV in him while he was awake. He had to lay still while they ran the test, which he did pretty well considering! When the test was all done, we went straight up to the clinic for the results. When the ENT came in, it wasnʼt our usual doctor, he had called in sick. He then proceeded to ask if I had ever seen a CT, which I hadnʼt. As soon as he pulled up the first picture, my heart dropped to my stomach, and I felt like passing out. We have all seen enough pictures on hospital shows that we know what we are looking at. I looked at him and asked, “ is it.....?” knowing what I was talking about, he said we wonʼt know until we get in there and take it out. The pain he was having in his ear, was because the tumor had deteriorated the bone and was touching his dura. He explained that it was going to be a long day, and we can only do one step at a time. He wanted to admit him, do an MRI, then do the biopsy. He made phone calls to the head of Cardio, Neuro, Oncology and a friend at The James, which is an amazing cancer hospital in Columbus, so that they were all aware and were on standby if he needed them.

I knew I couldnʼt cry in front of Cason, I had to be strong. It was the hardest thing I had ever done. I walked into the hallway to make phone calls to my husband, and the most religious people I knew. If anything, I knew he would need all the prayers he could get. Everything else the doctor said that day was a blur! I did find out while waiting for the MRI, that his doctor was the chief ENT. It was like a blessing in disguise. After the biopsy, he told me that he had Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis. It would have to be confirmed by the pathologist, but he was 99.9% sure thatʼs what it was.

A few days later he called and confirmed it was LCH. He referred us to an Oncologist at Childrenʼs that specialized in the field. After days and days of research I was more confused than anything. Some doctors say itʼs cancer, where others say itʼs not.
Regardless, Cason was going to be treated as a cancer patient, and his disease is considered a rare disease that 4 out of a million get.


Once visiting the Oncologist, he told us that he wanted a port placed in his chest so that he didnʼt have to be stuck every time he came in, and that he would go through 12 months of treatment. While researching, I found that the leading hospital and doctors were in Texas, and the other in Cincinnati. We decided that a second opinion would be a good idea. While waiting to get in down in Cincinnati, the ENT called and was concerned that this tumor was rapidly growing, and we needed to take care of it now. We saw the doctor in Cincinnati and he confirmed everything the doctor in Columbus had said. Since Nationwide was closer, we decided to just stay there and have everything started. I called and they got him in the next day to have his port placed.

The doctor said the port would be placed in the center of his chest. I proceeded to tell Cason he was going to be the real Ironman. That seemed to settle his fears, and has ever since made him realize he is stronger than he thinks.

Chemo started one week later. He had to go every Tuesday for 6 weeks straight, and had to take 28 days of steroids. On the sixth week, they did an MRI to see if it was working, and amazingly it had shrunk significantly. He nows goes to chemo every 3 weeks, and has 5 days worth of steroids. Cason has changed from the medicines he has been getting. He has gained 15 pounds and has a temper I never saw before all of this. Most days, youʼll see he is a normal 5 year old. He has not let the tumor or this disease slow him down, not even for a second.

Cason now, 4 years later is Cancer free.  He has lost all of the weight from chemo, and is active as all kids his age.  We take him to get blood work every six months, and scans once a year to make sure the cancer hasn't returned. We hold our breaths and pray that everything is clear, but the fear of hearing those words again are still there.  You realize life is short.  Love and hug on your babies, go on adventures, and live every day to it's fullest because you never know what might happen tomorrow. 


12.27.2018

Coming Soon...

Guess who's back, back again.  (I know you just sang it in your head)  Long time no see!! I've missed you all.  Things have changed so much since I last spoke with you.  I can't wait to share what all has been going on.  You'll be hearing about my middle man and his fight with cancer,
our camping adventures, and some teaching stories.  If you have anything in particular you'd like to hear about, please leave a comment or email me at datssocute@gmail.com.  I look forward to writing again, I've missed it!  See you soon!


10.30.2014

Hiking and Camping must haves _Review

I had the amazing opportunity to get to try a few products from Mountain Warehouse.  Just a little back ground information about them, via their website. 

Mountain Warehouse has been offering quality outdoor clothing and equipment at the lowest prices since 1997. From hiking clothing and camping equipment to ski wear and running gear we stock everything you need for your outdoor activities.
Most of the products we sell are exclusive to Mountain Warehouse, unlike other outdoor clothing shops. By cutting out the middleman we can produce the best quality products at the best prices. We pride ourselves on providing great value outdoor gear and at Mountain Warehouse you can be sure to receive honest advice from our knowledgeable staff.

The products that I tried exceeded my expectations.  Each one being more than I thought it would be.  





This backpack is lightweight and so comfortable.  I like that even after hours of having it on, it still felt lightweight and didn't cause my shoulders or back to hurt.  It has a lot of room in it, and has a hole at the top for a water bladder if you want to add one.  I chose to bring bottled water on our hike to share, and it wasn't heavy at all!


The Bolt also has two straps to help distribute heavier loads, one of which goes across your chest and the other around your waist.  For our hike the waist strap was not needed and I liked where the chest strap laid.  Other backpacks lay too low, and make it very uncomfortable, where this one was just right. 


I have used this backpack on several occasions other than hiking.  It is great loaded with everything you might need for hiking, to adventures out with the kids.  There are no drawbacks to owning the Bolt 18L backpack it is amazing and will be used for several years to come.  

The next item we were privileged to try was a flint starter.  This is a handy, light weight item that provides piece of mind when hiking or camping.  It also makes an excellent addition to any survival kit and stores very nicely in the Bolt 18L backpack.   You don't have to worry about matches getting wet, or a lighter not working.   One thing I can say for sure is that this starter put out more sparks than any other starter I've ever seen.  Starting a fire is quick and easy as seen in the photos below.  Just gather some dry material together, make a little tinder bundle and while applying medium pressure, just slide the striker down the flint stick and watch the sparks fly. 






Lastly, my favorite new hoodie, the Kittwake Womens Hoodie.


It is so soft, and comfortable, that I would seriously wear it  everyday!  There is just something about how it fits and the softness of it, that my other sweatshirts don't compare! 
The sizing chart is different than a US chart, our sweatshirts are S,M,L, but they have made it easy with this chart.
UK UK6810121416182022
EU Euro343638404244464850
German German323436384042444648
Italian Italian384042444648505254
USA USA24681012141618
Australian Australian6810121416182022
SML
cm / inchcm / inchcm / inchcm / inchcm / inchcm / inchcm / inchcm / inchcm / inch
Bust/Chest80 / 31.584 / 3388 / 34.593 / 36.598 / 38.5104 / 41110 / 43.5116 / 45.5123 / 48.5
Waist63 / 2568 / 26.571 / 2876 / 3081 / 3287 / 34.593 / 36.599 / 39106 / 41.5
Hips88 / 34.592 / 3696 / 38101 / 40106 / 41.5112 / 44118 / 46.5124 / 48.5131 / 51.5
Legs / Regular79 / 3179 / 3179 / 3179 / 3179 / 3179 / 3179 / 3179 / 3179 / 31
Legs / Short74 / 2974 / 2974 / 2974 / 2974 / 2974 / 2974 / 2974 / 2974 / 29
Legs / Ski79 / 3179 / 3179 / 3179 / 3179 / 3179 / 3179 / 3179 / 3179 / 31

Womens Footwear

avg. insole length (cm)24.325.125.826.627.5
UK44.555.566.577.58
EU3737.53838.53939.54040.541
US/CAN66.577.588.599.510
AUS55.566.577.588.59
SlippersS-MM-L

I want to apologize for taking so long to write this review.  I received these products right after returning from a camping and hiking trip and didn't get the opportunity until last weekend to use the products out in nature.  The items were given to me, but all opinions are honest and my own.