Picnic Time

Summer time in our house is picnic time and yesterday we got to go on our first picnic of the season! 

Half the fun of picnic time is getting everything ready. Our menu consisted of roast chicken, deviled eggs, broccoli and pumpkin bread.

Will and I started by boiling eggs and making pumpkin bread from some frozen pumpkin we preserved last year. We even made an extra loaf that's sitting in the freezer waiting for a special occasion.

 

Once the pumpkin bread was in the oven it was time to finish the deviled eggs. We used Wasabi Mayonnaise from Trader Joe's instead of regular mayo and they turned out incredible! I also used my homemade cucumber relish that you see in the picture. I'm definitely going to have to make more of that relish this summer! Yum!

With everything ready it was time to pack up the basket. I love using mason jars to bring our drinks. It enables us to bring something for each of us without creating a colossal mess!

There were no open picnic areas at the front of the park so we had to follow the road back to the little shelter house.

Where we then unpacked our awesome dinner!I think it's a nice looking spread if I do say so myself!

Once everything was eaten and put away, it was time for play. First on the list was exploring this hollow log. Sometimes, Mother Nature makes the best playgrounds!

Next on the agenda Daddy got to chase Will through the playground equipment and help him slide down the pole and swing across the monkey bars. Daddy doesn't fit too well in children's play equipment, but he was a good sport about it and tried his best.

What a wonderful picnic! There is very little that's better than good food, good times and great family outings!

Hope you enjoyed going along on our family picnic! I've included some of my favorite tips for making you picnic spectacular! I used to be intimidated by the thought of packing and schlepping food around, but after a few tries I learned to love it and as soon as we come home from one picnic I can't wait to go on the next!

• I said it above, but I'll say it again, MASON JARS! They are perfect for packing your beverages. 
• CHICKEN! Fried chicken, roast chicken, bbq chicken, cold chicken. However you cook it chicken is a perfect picnic food. 
• Make sure you have a nice sized picnic basket. Before I got the picnic basket we have now I sometimes used just a regular large sized wicker basket. 
• Keep a set of melamine dishes on hand just for picnic times. You can also keep a set of napkins on hand as well. (Solstice Fiber Arts Studio sells custom cotton napkins for awesome prices on Etsy!)
• There are lots of books and articles on picnics, but check out bento box lunch info as well. Lots of cute ideas especially for the little ones. 
• Make the entire experience an event from the time you start getting ready to the moment you come home. It's not just about the picnic itself, but about putting it together and reflecting as well. 
• Make your picnic a date for you and your significant other. Picnics can be super romantic as well as super family oriented.

Hopefully this post has you thinking about what to do on your own family picnic. I've added some really cool things in the  Walnut Cottage Home Store for you to take on your picnic. There's a little bit of everything there from play picnic sets for the kiddos to wine and cheese picnic baskets for the adults. Check it out! 

And don't forget, when you go on your own picnic be sure to come back here and leave me a link to your blog post or tell me about your experience in the comments! I'd love to see all your ideas and family adventures!