Posts Tagged ‘patio’

Backyard Campfire Fun

Thursday, September 29th, 2016

 

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It’s fallllllll! (Imagine me saying that in my best Oprah voice.) But that doesn’t mean it’s time to hide inside. It’s the most magical time of the year here in New England, where the days are still warm enough to be by the water but you have to close the windows at night or you can’t feel your nose in the morning. There’s chowder and donuts and cider and wine and oysters to enjoy outdoors. And it’s the perfect time of year to have a backyard campfire, right on our own patio.

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You can check out my idea board at the end of this post for links to items (or similar items) from Wayfair. They’ve got just what you need.

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Cozy, easy care cotton throws and fun pillows gave our old furniture new life.

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Lantern string lights add ambiance and warmth while you’re waiting for the fire to warm up.

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Plastic wine glasses = no chance of shattering them on the patio stones.

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Same deal with the tray – looks like rattan, but it’s actually plastic for easier clean up and no chance of breaking it.

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We’ve had this fire pit for years now and every time we use it we think “Why don’t we do this more often?!” Now that the cool nights are mostly bug-free, I see a lot more s’mores and wine in our future.
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This metal wall art makes our outdoor space feel more like a room.

One of the best parts about a backyard campfire is the ability to leave my newborn sleeping in the house while we roast marshmallows. Newborns near the fire pit seem like a poor choice – it’s hard enough controlling a clumsy toddler near the fire pit – so it was nice to be able to relax a little. In previous years, the kids seemed to like the idea of s’mores only in theory, but this year they ate as many as we would allow.

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Those blankets are my new favorite thing and I can’t wait to use them for lots of fall photo sessions. I’m sure the wine glasses will find a way to be useful as well. A big thanks to Wayfair for sponsoring this post and encouraging us to get out and enjoy our backyard campfire!

My Week(307) in iPhone Photos

Sunday, September 18th, 2016

I thought I did really well this week, but a) my mom was still here and b) I somehow totally forgot Wednesday? The real test will be this current week, when I’m left with 4 children all day. Will they make it to school wearing clothes?!?! Will Linc try to sit on the baby??? Will the cat finally give up and run away forever??? WHO KNOWS!!

Sunday:

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That’s how you know it’s good ice cream

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Sitting so politely

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WHICH CHILD EVEN IS THIS IT LOOKS LIKE EVAN BUT IT’S TOO SMALL

Monday:

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She’s so fancy

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Tantrum toddler is tatruming

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I should probably just burn it down

Tuesday:

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Checking out the other patients

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Is he sleeping yet??

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It was less than 80 degrees, so she needed a blanket

Wednesday:

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All I have from Wednesday, which explains itself

Thursday:

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So nice

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Cider Mill haul

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But WHY can’t the cows come home with us???

Friday:

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I caught you helping!

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Tired baby

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All wrapped up

Saturday:

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Soccer is boring

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Go Blue Monsters!

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New lights!

We got SO many things organized/cleaned/put away/straighten/throw out/fixed while my parents were here. It’s always amazing to have them here and my house no longer looks like the trashiest one on the block. Now all I have to do is stay on top of laundry and dishes for…the rest of my life. That seems unlikely, but at least now the ice maker works, I have a wine fridge plugged in, and my guest room is useable.

Mother’s Day Gardening (and A Giveaway!)

Tuesday, May 20th, 2014

This post was written as part of my partnership with MiracleGro.

Growing up in New England, Mother’s Day = planting day for my mom. Any sooner and you’re pretty much guaranteed to get a late frost that kills everything, and then you have a dead garden and an empty wallet. So she would wait for early May and then spend Mother’s Day in the garden putting in plants and flowers and using the best .095 trimmer line to maintain their garden.

I’ve been planting with the kids on Mother’s Day since they were old enough to help and they love it (OMG just LOOK at tiny 2012 Evan and Caroline planting with me!!) This year Caroline asked every day if it was Mother’s Day yet because she wanted to plant “her” garden. She requested “pink and purple and pink and purple and red” flowers.

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My Week(135) in iPhone Photos

Saturday, June 1st, 2013

Based on my pictures, I think we can officially say summer has started here.

Sunday:

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Is this a New England thing? I hadn’t ever had it before we moved here and now it’s my favorite.

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Shopping helper

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All 15 episodes watched in one day. Obsessed.

Monday:

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Photo of the parade photographer. So meta.

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Dual swinging skillz

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Screw you, tree helicopters. Say hello to my little friend, the leafblower.

Tuesday:

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Gas station fashion shot

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No, of course I didn’t feed the kids donuts for lunch. Why would you think that?

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PLEASE SWING PLEASE SWING PLEASE MOOOORE SWING!

Wednesday:

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C’mon Rhode Island, maybe try repaving ONE SIDE at a time?

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Checking out Inara the Anteater.

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Petting a Moon Bear. Maybe if he was named for a Firefly character I’d know his name too.

Thursday:

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One of the benefits of going to the gym is finally catching up on magazines

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Beach babies

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That “sand” is really more like dirt, but it works.

Friday:

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Ducky friends! Baby duckie friends! So many duckies!

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11:00 am. BLERG.

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LOOK WATER I LIKE IT! – says the child who didn’t like the water 24 hours before.

Saturday:

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Indoor, air-conditioned playground birthday party. Best idea ever.

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PEEK A BOO

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She accidentally ate the bubbles almost every time

The next week is going to be a busy one for me – TWO trips into NYC for fun blogging stuff. The weather is supposed to be a little more reasonable too (70’s instead of 90’s) so we can go back to doing other fun stuff besides hiding at the lake. Not that I really MIND hiding at the lake, I just don’t think I can afford to go through that much sunscreen every single week.

Wordless Wednesday: Memorial Day Edition

Wednesday, May 29th, 2013

Norwich Parade:

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Mystic Parade:

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Patio Fun:

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