Author: Sara May

Garden Tools & Tips, Storage Solutions

Do You Have a New Year’s Gardening Resolution?

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Cedar Storage Sheds and Garden Sheds

If you’re an avid gardener, I’m willing to bet that you have at least one item on your New Year’s resolutions list related to your gardening plans for the upcoming season.  Whether it’s on your list of resolutions or not, most gardeners I know have one particular item toward the top of their gardening to-do list each year.  Better organization.

Keeping garden tools, supplies, seeds, soils, and other gear conveniently located and easy to access is a tall order when existing storage spaces are already brimming with household tools, sports gear, and other non-garden related items.  Creating one special area dedicated to gardening supplies can be a challenge, so one solution is to add more storage.  

Cedar storage sheds make a useful addition in any backyard.  Unlike standard plastic, resin, or metal sheds, cedar storage sheds are beautiful and natural and never need to be hidden in a remote corner of a yard to avoid being an eye-sore.  Cedar sheds maintain their good looks for years, and they offer an aromatic place to store all of your gardening gear and supplies.

With so many sizes and configurations available, every gardener — from the novice to the expert — can find a cedar storage shed that meets every gardening storage need. 

 

Backyard Fun, Environmentally Friendly Ideas, Holidays & Gift Ideas, Outdoor Entertaining, Outdoor Lighting Ideas, Outdoor Living Spaces, Portable Fun

Thoughtful Gifts Combine Fun and Function

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Finding fun gifts that are also useful can present a challenge.  Gifts that are purely fun can quickly become space hogs when they lose their appeal.  Gifts that are purely practical in nature are, frankly, pretty boring.  There are quite a number of great gift ideas out there that successfully combine the fun with the practical, but the key to choosing the right gift is knowing the recipient.

If you have a football-loving friend who also loves to cook out on the grill, it would be hard to go wrong with a gift like the Portable Football Grill.  Shaped like a football, it definitely offers a unique and fun spin on grilling out.  Because it is portable, this grill can be used on the back patio and at the tailgating party.

Football Grill

If, on the other hand, you have a friend who is environmentally conscious but also enjoys fun home decor, a smart gift idea would be a Solar Mosaic Glass Lantern.  These colorful and casual lights are solar powered, so no wiring is involved, and there are no operating costs.  Solar lanterns are ideal for illuminating backyard patio tables since they require sunlight to operate.

 

How about the friend who loves spending time outdoors, but who also appreciates quiet time in front of the television watching movies or shows with the family?  The ideal gift would combine the fun of watching TV with the ability to enjoy the fresh, clean air of the great outdoors.  The solution comes in an Outdoor Weatherproof TV.  Outdoor TVs are designed to withstand weather exposure, and they make a welcome addition to outdoor patios, sunrooms, pool areas, and covered decks.

SunBriteTV 22 In Outdoor LCD HDTV 2220 PRO

Fun and functional gifts are everywhere, but they provide the most joy to the recipient when you take time to consider your friends and what characteristics they would most appreciate in a gift.  It really is the thought that counts.

Backyard Fun, Holidays & Gift Ideas, Indoor Living Spaces, Outdoor Entertaining, Portable Fun

The Key to Bringing the Party with You

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New Year's Eve Party

Photo Credit: Getty Images

So many exciting events are coming up…New Year’s Eve and the Super Bowl are two in particular that rank high on our family’s “Best Excuses for Hosting a Get Together” list.  Frankly, the best part about get togethers, aside from the wonderful company, are all the yummy eats and lip-smacking drinks.

Whether or not you like to spike the eggnog at your party, you’ll want to have plenty of beverages on hand for thirsty guests.   At our house, there’s no room for a stocked bar, so we keep our GoBar Portable High Top Bar tucked away until we need it for special occasions when drinks will flow continuously.  Once we set up the bar in a convenient spot near the food table, we stock it with whatever we’ll need for the evening ahead.  Beer, wine, soda, juices, blender, ice buckets, and glasses can all be kept on the bar and on the sturdy storage shelf, which remains hidden behind one of three festive skirts.

What are festive skirts, you may ask?  This is one of our favorite features of our portable GoBar.  Depending on the theme for the party, we dress our GoBar in one of the three skirts that are included with the bar.  For the New Year’s party, we choose the formal skirt, the Super Bowl party features the football field skirt (of course), and our summer beach party requires the tiki-themed skirt.  They add an extra touch of fun and flair to each of our parties.

Now that our friends have experienced the GoBar, they ask us to bring it with us to their parties.  Because it is lightweight and portable, it’s never a problem.   We’re not planning to stay up until midnight this New Year’s Eve, nor do we care which teams finally make it to the Super Bowl — what we love about these events is spending them with family and friends and having a memorable time.

  

Backyard Fun, Holidays & Gift Ideas, Outdoor Entertaining

Gather ‘Round the Fire for a Memorable Family Holiday

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Fire pits and Fire bowls

As families gather together for holiday happenings, take advantage of any unseasonably “warm” weather you may be experiencing, and gather your family in your outdoor spaces.  Chicago, for example, has experienced temperatures in the 40s over the past few days, unusual for this time of year.  What a perfect opportunity to stoke up the fire in your fire pit or fire bowl.

Even on chillier days, there’s something so cozy and inviting about gathering around a roaring fire burning safely in an outdoor fire pit or fire bowl.  The crackle of the burning logs, the aroma of the wood, and the early fading sunlight inspire many families to pull out their best stories and tall tales for multi-generational entertainment.  Only hot chocolate and marshmallows could improve the experience.

There really is nothing that can adequately compete with a gathering of family and friends in the cozy comfort of your outdoor spaces when those spaces are lit and warmed by a toasty fire.   The cherished memories created in these moments when loved ones come together make the best gifts of all.

Holidays & Gift Ideas, Indoor Living Spaces, Portable Fun

Parents Unite! The Ultimate Boredom Buster is Here

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Bust that Boredom with Indoor Games

Attention Parents!  Winter break is upon us, and I know the last thing you want to hear from the kids while they are home from school are those two dreaded words that have the magical ability to muster up a hearty helping of frustration and irritation — “I’m bored.”  Look around you, you may say to your children.  Do you see all of the toys, books, and other various activities that virtually crowd out everything else in the house?  How can you possibly be bored?  This is the kids’ cue for dramatic eye-rolling.

Not this year!  This is the year when every kid in the family can find something fun to do, and here’s the best part…it won’t cost much money and requires very little space, both of which are already at a premium for most families.  My favorite new fun family you-have-no-reason-now-to-say-you-are-bored purchase is the Hat Trick 4ft Air Hockey Table.   There truly is something for everyone. Personally, I love that my kids don’t come away from this table with a blank, mindless stare so often accompanied by screen-time activities.

Banish boredom!  Yes, it can be done.  Let them soak in it for a while, and I guarantee they’ll eventually head to the game table for some rip-roaring, boredom-busting good times.