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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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!

End of Summer Patio Campfire

SuzanneD

Keep Calm And Eat A Smore Textual Art Plaque

Click Wall Art

Spanish Wall Décor

World Source Partners

Outdoor Natural Slate Wood Burning Fire Pit

Pleasant Hearth

10-Light 7.5 ft. Lantern String Lights

DEI

Lone Star Electric Hurricane Lantern

Leigh Country

Leaf Sequenced Decorative Throw Pillow

Artistic Linen

Multi Diamond 100% Cotton Throw (Set of 2)

Amrapur Overseas Inc.

Dongan Stemmed Wine Tumbler (Set of 4)

Varick Gallery

Photoreal Rattan Serving Tray

TarHong

See Idea Board on

Our big (ugly) family room couch is one of those sausage-casing monstrosities, where all the cushions are attached, with built-in recliners and cup holders. It’s truly hideous. But while we’re in the “Oh my god where did you get that yogurt?!” stage of children, there’s no point in having NICE furniture, so I settled for comfy and functional in a beige color that hides dirt.

The biggest problem with that kind of couch (besides ugly) is that it’s pretty useless when it comes to couch forts, and couch forts are an essential part of childhood. Luckily, when I was trying to fancy-up our living room last year I found a nice mini-sized couch that a) is also a good dirt-hiding shade of beige and b) has two nice huge cushions that make an excellent fort wall. The kids LOVE that couch – it’s the perfect size for them to spread out and watch iPad, set up all the dolls into elaborate tableaus or just climb all over while they hit each other with lightsabers. Lovingly, obviously. Lovingly hit each other with lightsabers.

I got an email from Wayfair saying they put together some super cute sofa fort plans and asking if my kids would be interested in building one. They even sent a super cozy Lush throw blanket to get us started. Check out their fun ideas:

We chose the Dreadship Blanket and got to work rearranging the furniture, finding supplies and collecting throw blankets and pillows.

Real life talk: This is what passes for “super clean and organized” in our living/play room. It’s half grown-up, finished space (art! mirrored table! fireplace! throw pillows!) and half kid zone (toys! more toys! even more toys!!!). Please ignore the photobombing cat.

And here’s what happened when we created our own Dreadship Blanket:

We left the fort up for a week before I wanted my living room back for a grown up event, but pretty much any time they want to rebuild a couch fort I’m on board. It’s the kind of fun, creative, independent play that ends up with about 80% cooperation and only 20% screaming at each other. In case you don’t have multiple kids, those are REALLY good percentages.

Thank you again Wayfair for the fun idea!

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Wayfair as part of their Homemakers program. All opinions are my own. 

We watch a LOT of HGTV. My children have favorite HGTV shows (Evan likes Love It or List It, while Caroline prefers House Hunters). And if you’ve watched even 10 minutes of HGTV you’re heard that song Wayfair uses in their commercials and right now you are cursing me for getting it stuck in your head AGAIN. Rest assured I share your pain.

Now that Baby Linc is no longer a surprise baby, I can finally finish the nursery. I moved the older kids in together to give him a room – I might as well make it a NICE room. I am attempting to prevent Third Child Why Aren’t There Any Pictures Of Me And Why Did I Sleep In A Drawer Syndrome. (Current status: medium. He has a birth story but owns no socks)  So far I’ve gone from this…

To this:

(more…)