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The long weekends of summer have started and I know the sometimes controversial question is coming up in many homes, “Wouldn’t it be fun to go camping this summer?” Followed by “Define Camping” and “Will there be shower facilities?”

If you hate the thought of camping, you’re not alone. I know many folks that are perplexed at the thought of sleeping on the ground, using natures facilities and not showering for multiple days (when you say it that way, it does sound really fun?). I myself have had my fair share of camping and honestly the thing I really hate is getting wet. When everything smells like wet dog and is damp and chilly~ Not cool Robert Frost.

But I’ve done some research to bring a balance back to the non-camper club. What if you could glamp? You have the best of both world’s, the luxuries of life at home, plus the great outdoors. Glamorous camping, I’m sure if long weeks promoted duvets, massive wall tents and french presses, more women would be clamouring to “decorate their tent”. Wish me luck ladies, I bought a Camping Espresso Machine and got an eyebrow raise and he muttered  ”High Maintenance“, I think the duvet is staying at home….

Image from here

Image from here

Image from here

Image from here

Image from here

Camping? Umm, pretty sure I could make this my permanent home. Have a great weekend everyone!

 This recipe is dead simple. After trimming the brisket of any fat, I browned it for about 5 minutes and placed it into the slow cooker. Put the slow cooker on low and set for 10 hours.

In the meantime I made the following BBQ sauce:

• 1 medium onion diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed or diced
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 dried chipotle peppers
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 pepper

Saute onions until translucent for 5-8 minutes and then add garlic, peppers for an additional 3-5 minutes until fragrant.

Add crushed tomatoes and simmer mixture for 30 minutes until it’s a dark burgundy in colour and starts to thicken.

Add 1 cup of the BBQ to the brisket in the slow cooker, place the rest in the fridge for later use.

Once brisket has cooked for 8-10 hours and is pull off the fork tender, serve on a bed of lettuce with sauteed mushrooms, BBQ sauce and a dash of hot sauce. ~Enjoy!

AND I FOR ONE AM SO EXCITED….

I’m so proud of fellow bloggers like Sophie, Suzie from UrbanCountryStyle and Glynn from A Reel Lady (just to mention a few), who are collectively announcing their commitment to health and to create the strongest body and mind that they can.

Think of how much someone could accomplish if they focus on what their body can do verses simply what it looks like. I for one am first to admit I’ve fallen into this trap for most of my life. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m predisposed to having curves, but with that I’m also genetically blessed to being able to build muscles fast, I guess Hobbits are lucky in a sense.

BUT I NEVER SAW IT THAT WAY…

Looking back on my highschool experience it could have been much different. I was lucky my parents promoted sports and I fell into competitive ski racing at an early age so I was surrounded by other kids with the mindset of while being strong wasn’t necessarily cool, it was essential to success on the hill.

But going to highschool at a time when Kate Moss was the top supermodel wasn’t the easiest on a teenager that lifted weights and tried to gain muscle mass in the off-season. I didn’t fit in with the rest of my waif like, prepubescent peers that called me Bubble Butt and Thunder Thighs. I remember being horrified when my 9th grade gym teacher called me up to the front of the class and made me flex my legs to show what “mature calf muscle definition” looked like. I remember thinking,  ”awesome could I be alienated anymore from my skinny, non-muscular friends”.

But my sports got me through that. Because of my bulging calves I’ve climbed some amazing mountains and descended their slopes even faster on a pair of skis. I can draw my bow back easily at 50 lbs from all the push ups and triceps dips. It’s mentally made me tougher and self-confident for life’s lumps and bumps in general because I know what I’m made up of.

AND THAT’S WHY I’M SO HAPPY…

I hope this “trend” kicks in high gear and resonates through our society to girls and women of all ages. As Sophie wrote and I can’t say it any better so I’ll share it with you.

“Dear Society: Please assist me in convincing young girls that “strong is the new skinny”.

Encourage them to eat. Don’t let them diet. Discourage the idolization of anorexic and bulimic celebrities. Make them exercise instead. Teach them that “exercise” means running, jumping, sweating, grunting, working hard, and kicking ass- it doesn’t mean flapping their arms around in some trendy, overpriced Trogalaties course, or running on the elliptical until they pass out. Help them realize their own strength. All of these things will help girls realize their full potential, both physically and mentally. It will help girls become self-confident, capable, and literally and figuratively strong. A girl who is encouraged to be strong instead of skinny will have higher self-esteem, respect, ambitions, and worth. She will never be a victim. She will be healthy. She will be a leader. She will be confident. She will be kick-ass.

Spread the strength.“

The old trusty yellow quad, nothing fancy but with proper maintenance and care, this thing has done lots of scouting missions in its time!

It’s a great time of year to head into your storage and sort through your hunting gear making some mental notes of what needs to be tuned, repaired or replaced before you get too busy with summer activities. Because before you know it opening day will be here this fall. Some of the things to consider:

• Apparel- Have you washed and inspected all pants/jackets for rips and tears that might need repairs? Does it still fit properly or did it ever? If not maybe put it in the donate pile. I usually take time to waterproof all boots and wash all applicable jackets and pants with gortex wash so they’re ready to go for another season. 
• Tree Stand Harness- If you have one, please inspect it for wear and tear and fix or replace anything that needs repairs. If you still need to get one, make sure to put it on the list! It’s too important to go without one!
• Backpacks- Nows the time to wash any of those backpacks that are mud covered and blood stained from last season.
• Equipment- Need to clean your guns, replace strings on your bow? Take the time to make repairs. You don’t want to make the mistake of leaving it all to the last minute and are not able to get parts before you head out. This goes for quads, trailers and vehicles. Take the time to make sure they’re tuned up for those summer scouting trips. The last thing you want is mechanical failure, forcing you to spend precious time waiting around for a tow-truck.
• Need New Boots? Planning on an epic mountain hunt that requires a great deal of hiking? One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they buy new boots only a couple of weeks before they head out on their trip. Then they end up with crippling blisters only days into it.   Purchase your boots now and start breaking them in. Wear them at home doing the laundry, to the park or to get groceries.
• Check your bear spray and make sure it’s still legit. Have you used it before, is it 15 years old and expired or is the canister crushed or deformed in any way? Trust me the last thing you want to do is find that out when you want to use it.
• Stand Maintenance and Placement- Nows a great time to check out and do some maintenance on old stands, like clearing overgrown shooting lanes and repairing blinds. It’s also an opportune time to get out and enjoy the beautiful spring weather and look for some new spots.

Once your hunting closet’s organized and ready to go, it will give you the following months to focus on your fitness and skills before opening day.  The better prepared you are the greater the chances of success!

A pair of red pants and a denim top are pretty much like peanut butter & jelly for me, a good old standby yet always satisfying.  I love a classic and casual pairing even if some say it’s a little behind and overdone. And since we’ve been waiting for spring to finally get started and I haven’t seen sun in about 11.5 months I need a little colour to brighten up my current tone of neon whiteness.  I found this ensemble at Winners (Canada’s version of Kohls) and I love the tiny polka dot details on this shirt, and feel it takes the outfit down a level from preppy to a casual and fun.

• Pants & Denim Top: Winners
• Heels: Zara (old)
• Jacket: J.Crew
• Hat: Urban Outfitters

Since summer entertaining seems to be kicked off, I wanted to share this dead simple appetizer or after dinner snack that will leave your guests refreshed. Simply cube up some watermelon (preferably seedless) into 1″ x 1″ cubes and secure a small piece of mint on the top with a toothpick. Sprinkle with lemon juice and a dusting of salt and voila. Serve chilled and with a light Moscato and it will be the ultimate refresher those hot days.

Folks, I converted a denim hater. See, hating jeans is something I can’t fathom. If allowed to I’d live in denim 365/24/7. Being so unbiased I may not be that objective when it comes to what qualifies as a great cut of denim, so I recruited my friend Jen to try on a pair that Branded Bull had sent me.  Her reaction was, “they probably won’t fit me, do you know how hard it is for me to find jeans I actually like?”

So once I had her in my clutches, we started with a fun casual look with a large knit sweater, studded booties and a wide striped tank. She noted a few times, how great the jeans felt and looked and asked if they could follow her home. To change it up and really see the versatility of these candy apple skinny jeans she put on a sky-high pair of Jason Wu’s and trench coat for a very flattering date night look.

Thanks Branded Bull for turning a skeptic into a believer!

Jeans c/o Branded Bull

Every year I wonder what to get my mom for Mother’s Day- the standby card and flowers? Clothes are hard to buy and sometimes a gift card just seems a little impersonal to me. One thing I know she appreciates are those little indulgences she wouldn’t ever purchase for herself but would be very happy to receive if gifted (I call it the mom guilt complex).

So when I was in my local Papyrus store I saw their Vintage Luxe collection of rustic chic frames, photo albums, candles, home decor and even beautiful cloth bound versions of classic books like Wuthering Heights. I love the vintage inspired looks and the whole collection has a luxurious feel that any mom would appreciate.

So to celebrate all those Mom’s out there, Papyrus wants one lucky C&C fan to win a Vintage Luxe Gift Set for Mother’s Day!! We are giving away a beautiful Vintage Bird & Flower Frame as well as a Decorative Ivory Birdhouse!

I think these would make a great vignette at home, or the start to one! So if you want to enter to win this gift set, here’s how!

• Leave us a comment (make sure you leave your email and name) on this post letting us know you’d like to win.
• For an extra entry, head over to Papyrus Facebook Page and leave a comment saying you want to win the Cashmere & Camo Mother’s Day Contest
• An extra entry for leaving a comment in C&C’s facebook page or twitter feed.

So there you have all 4 ways to enter! Contest will run until Sunday May 5th at midnight. We’ll announce the winner on May 6th!

Good luck and if you want to check out anymore of the VIntage Luxe line, Papyrus is offering 20% off all Mother’s Day gifts!

Finally! After many months of staying mum, I can finally introduce you guys to The Hunting Film Tour. For many years G2 has had the vision to bring a traveling film festival to the outdoor industry and enthusiasts where they could enjoy exciting story driven content from hunting adventures around the globe that would be shown in HD in  theatres. The focus is to showcase conservation minded athletes and adventures using state of the art cinematography~meaning quite simply, stuff you won’t see on TV.

So after many, many, many  conversations, meetings, long hours spent on computers (I think that was our entire winter activity list with my role as “the supportive staff”), the 2013 tour is coming to reality and will debut Aug 8th in Bozeman Montana (check here for other cities and dates). The lineup features 10 very cool films featuring big game, waterfowl against some stunning backdrops. G2 and the team have been working very hard to deliver the highest quality event and I think even the ladies who enjoy spending time with their families outdoors will love it. For further details you can check out the website here. Plus you’ll want to enter the Gear Giveaway and follow along on Facebook or Twitter to see some of the upcoming sponsored prize packs in the coming months!

Here’s the teaser for the tour, featuring bits of the films that you’ll be able to see.

 2013 Hunting Film Tour

When Branded Bull first invited me to look at their apparel I not only found the quality exceptional but the items so very versatile. Great for everyday looks, many of their tops and jackets like this Crystal Wash long-sleeve tee also are attractive options for active wear. So I asked my yogi friend to try it out in a number of poses, and she gave the ultra soft and warm tee a big thumbs up. I also think these would be great to amp up barn wear or even just with casual boyfriend jeans and heels. You must check out all the colours them come in! Make sure you stop by Branded Bull to see their other apparel, because we have some more great styling options coming up this week!