Author: Sara May

Outdoor Entertaining, Portable Fun

Portable Grills Go Everywhere — Even Your Own Back Yard

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Picnic With a Portable Grill

Fall is on our doorstep, so it’s time to hit the road for some serious tailgating.  What is a football game, college or pro, without a parking lot party beforehand?  Juicy burgers and monster bratwurst are on the menu, along with grilled veggies and some ice cold beverages.  No tailgating party can be complete without a portable grill to cook all of that delicious food.  You’ll make fast friends with everyone within range of the tempting aromas your grill creates.

Whether you prefer cooking on a gas grill, charcoal grill, or infrared grill, portable grills rival any full sized grill in cooking quality, plus you can take them just about anywhere you go.  If tailgating parties aren’t your cup of java, then you can bring your portable grill on your next camping or boating trip and nourish your family and friends with a hearty breakfast of pancakes and bacon as the sun rises over the horizon.  Or, you may prefer to travel only as far as your own balcony or back patio.  Apartment dwellers and homeowners with small patios appreciate portable grills for their ability to save precious space while allowing the residents to enjoy the same delicious outdoor delicacies that only a grill can produce.

Backyard Fun, Outdoor Entertaining

Safe Backyard Campfires Increase Family Fun

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Fire Ring

One of the most attractive parts of camping in the woods is enjoying a blazing campfire and all that it inspires…campfire songs, roasted marshmallows, and family togetherness.  Packing up the car with tents, food, sleeping bags, and all the other accoutrements of camping can be time consuming, though, and it’s not always worth it to do all that work for just a night or two of camping out in the woods.

If the campfire is what you love most about camping, then consider camping out in the backyard.  Set up the tents and sleeping bags behind your house, and create your own safe backyard campfire with a fire bowl, fire pit, or fire ring.  All of these choices do the job of containing a fire and make it easy to extinguish the fire once it’s time to pack it in for the night.  Most fire bowls, fire pits, and fire rings are portable, so you can still take them on a traditional camping trip in the woods or to a bonfire on the beach.  S’mores, anyone?

Innovative Solutions, Outdoor Entertaining

Outdoor Televisions: TV Watchers Return to Nature

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My husband’s dream…to sit out on the patio or by the pool, cool drink in hand, hot wings by his side, watching his favorite football team.  No, his favorite team won’t be stopping by to scrimmage in the yard; he’ll be able to watch them on an all-weather outdoor television.  Oh, yes.  What could be better as summer winds down than to enjoy the cooler days outdoors while watching a favorite team or favorite show?  You could even enjoy a romantic evening under the stars watching Casablanca or When Harry Met Sally.

An outdoor all-weather television is not your standard variety TV.  It is specially made to be installed and used in an outdoor living space, whether on the patio or pool side.   All-weather TVs are a natural choice for outdoor restaurants and cafes, and they liven up any backyard barbecue or pool party.  Some all-weather TVs even come with watertight, floating remote controls so you can enjoy a swim while surfing the channels.

What happens when the rain falls or when exuberant swimmers splash the television?  Nothing.  All-weather and watertight enclosures protect the Outdoor TV’s components from elements such as rain, dirt, insects, scratches, sun, and extreme temperatures.   Additionally, the TV’s screen is much brighter than a standard TV screen to overcome outdoor glare.

Get the popcorn popping and the root beer flowing…we’re going outside for some quality outdoor TV time!

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Outdoor Entertaining, Outdoor Living Spaces

Outdoor Rugs – Versatility and Beauty

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Want to spruce up your outdoor room, patio, or deck?  An outdoor rug just may be the answer.  Outdoor rugs made of synthetic fibers like polypropylene, also known as olefin, are extremely strong and weather resistant.  They are also resistant to stains, mildew, and fading, making them a practical choice for any outdoor space.  Outdoor rugs give a softer, more comfortable indoor feel to any outdoor area.

Today’s outdoor rugs are really beautiful, too, boasting decorative borders and patterns that rival any indoor rug.  In fact, many people choose to use outdoor rugs in their indoor spaces because of their durability and visual appeal.  Use a smaller rug as a welcome mat and a larger one underneath the dining room table to define the space.  Outdoor rugs are ideal for busy entry ways, hallways, kitchens, and living areas, too.  Cleaning an outdoor rug is a breeze.  Spray the rug with a hose and allow it to air dry.  Tough stains require only a mild detergent and warm water for cleaning.

Whether used in outdoor or indoor spaces, an outdoor rug can significantly improve appearances as well as invite more frequent use.

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Backyard Fun, Healthy Ideas

Imaginations Go Wild With a Vinyl Playhouse

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Vinyl Playhouse Window

Forgotten toys, broken toys, and toys chewed by the dog are usually what we find at the bottom of the swing set club house in our backyard.  The “toy graveyard,” we call it, and they end up there when my husband needs to mow the lawn.  Any toys that are strewn across the yard get tossed under the swing set to clear the way for the mower.  As my son gets older, his powers of imagination grow, and I realize that the poorly used space underneath the swing set club house could be better put to use to help encourage that imagination.

Last weekend, we chucked out all of the old, broken toys and found a proper home for the still usable toys.  Then, we created an enclosed vinyl playhouse thanks to some custom-fitted vinyl material.  What a difference that made!  My son calls this new play area his “cabin.”   He furnished it with some kid-sized chairs and a small table, and so far, he has imagined any number of interesting scenarios.  He pretends that his new vinyl playhouse is a store, a storm shelter, a castle, a tree house.  The vinyl playhouse has become his magical spot for imagining that anything is possible.  Plus, it gets him out of the house and into the fresh air!

Imaginations Go Wild!