Backyard Fun, Holidays & Gift Ideas

Tips for Celebrating Your Favorite Furry Friend

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Happy Dog, Happy Family

It’s National Dog Week this week, so it’s the perfect time to honor our canine companions and show them how much we appreciate their unconditional love.  Here are four easy ways you can pamper your pooch:

  • Extra Love — Our dogs give us so much love and devotion.  Let them know you love them, too, by offering a few extra kisses or an extended belly rub.
  • Special Goodies — Prepare a tummy-yummy homemade “ice cream” treat (recipe below) for your pooches.  Mine absolutely love their daily dessert.  Special goodies don’t have to be edible, though.  If your pup carries around a few too many pounds, you should consider alternative goodies like squeaky toys or tennis balls that encourage active playtime — preferably with you.
  • Canine Massage — It’s true…professional canine massage is growing in demand, and it’s a fabulous complement to regular veterinary care.   It benefits healthy dogs, anxious dogs, geriatric dogs, canine athletes, and more.  What a perfect time to give this up and coming service a try.  Your dog will thank you.
  • Elevated Dog BedA Comfy Bed — Upgrade your dog’s sleep spot by providing him or her with an elevated, easy to clean dog bed that is tops in comfort.  The elevated bed acts like a hammock, so it’s easy on joints and allows air to circulate, which keeps our furry friends cooler and happier when temperatures are warm.

National Dog Week is a wonderful time to celebrate our beloved canine companions, but there’s no reason why we can’t show them how much we appreciate them at other times of the year, too.  Keep this short list handy to serve as a periodic reminder to thank them for the continued joy, amusement, and devotion they give us tirelessly.

Sid and Smoochie Pooch’s Lip Smackin’, Tail Waggin’ Freezer Treats

  • 32 ounces plain yogurt
  • 1 mashed banana
  • 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
  • 2 Tablespoons honey

Mix all ingredients in a blender.  Pour mixture into ice cube trays and freeze.  Once frozen, pop the treats out of the ice cube trays and store in a freezer bag or other container in the freezer.  Enjoy!

Backyard Fun, Innovative Solutions, Outdoor Entertaining, Portable Fun

Folding Picnic Tables: For Tailgating and More!

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Football Folding Picnic Table
Picnic tables are a great way to provide ample seating to your outdoor events. Picnic tables, however, are traditionally stationary.  How can you enjoy the benefits of extra seating and the ease of portability? Folding picnic tables! They are available in many designs, including the football folding picnic table shown above, which is perfect for tailgating. I recently spent a beautiful afternoon at The Grove at Ole Miss, rated the top tailgating school in the country by numerous publications. My friends and I enjoyed tailgating and put our folding picnic table to great use! Our table also recently came in handy when hosting my daughter’s outdoor birthday party (below). It provided a place to open presents, eat, and give the children a place to relax after lots of playing. They are perfect for adults and children and support up to 250 lbs. per seat. They are available in green, red, black, and blue. In addition to the football table top, you can also choose a poker design (perfect for on the go card games), soccer design, and plain table. They are easy to carry, sturdy, and fun!

Outdoor Living Spaces

Why Material Matters for Outdoor Furniture Protection

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When you cover up your patio furniture before a storm or a long winter season, what kind of material actually touches the surface of your furniture?  If you skimped when you bought your patio furniture covers, there’s no guarantee that they’ll offer adequate protection, and no guarantee that they’ll last more than a couple of years…tops.  Here’s why.

Poor quality patio furniture covers may last only one or two seasons because they are often made with cheaper vinyl or plastic. These inferior materials are easily damaged by extremes in cold or hot temperatures, and they can even damage your furniture if they stick to the surfaces or develop cracks.

It’s worth it to splurge for higher quality patio furniture covers because better materials really do make a difference in how well your furniture is protected from weather extremes.  Covers can be constructed from a variety of materials, but there are some crucial characteristics you should look for before making a selection.

Outdoor furniture covers should be made of a durable waterproof and UV resistant material that is able to withstand extreme temperatures and weather conditions, both hot and cold, without being compromised. Additionally, covers should be lightweight so that they are easy to use and easy to store when not in use. Some covers are backed with a soft cloth material to help prevent anything from scratching delicate furniture surfaces, which is an ideal feature if your patio furniture sits near any trees that may drop small branches or other debris over the course of the winter.

Taking a bit of time in the beginning to find the best material for your outdoor furniture covers will pay off in the long run. By covering your outdoor patio furniture properly, you will extend the life of the furniture for many years. Alternatively, skimping on quality now will most likely result in having to spend more money later to replace poor quality furniture covers that don’t last beyond a season or two.

Backyard Fun, Garden Tools & Tips

A Perfect Space for Your Fall Plants

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Plant Inn
Greenhouses are great for gardeners looking to continue into fall. Traditional greenhouses, however, can be large and expensive, which prohibits some gardeners from exploring this option. A great new alternative is a plant inn. It will provide a beautiful and functional growing space in your garden or backyard. The sloping lid allows maximum sunlight and rain runoff. The plant inn even features an internal drainage system. The hinged frame and latch have four access and ventilation options: completely open, two ventilation levels, and locked in the closed position. The raised growing beds provide comfortable access for all ages and keeps ground level critters out. The lower panels slide up for additional storage and drainage hose access. You will get maximum growing and storage space in a compact area.

Plant Inn OpenInternal DrainagePlant Inn Closed

Portable Fun

Make a Day of Apple Month

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Apple Orchard - Apple Month

September is Apple Month, and it’s the time of year when thousands of families look forward to heading out to the local orchard for some apple picking fun.  My family is no exception.  In fact, we live in a part of the country where apple orchards abound.  Picking our peck is a big deal, so we like to make a day of it.

Picnic Basket-ToteAn increasing number of apple orchards have expanded their offerings beyond picking fruit.  Many have on-site cafes where you can enjoy a meal after you’ve spent time meandering the rows of apple trees searching for the perfect specimens.  Our family prefers to take along a picnic basket filled with our favorite foods — chicken salad, crispy veggies, cheese chunks, and buttery crackers.  Just in case the orchard we’ve chosen doesn’t have any picnic tables, we bring along our portable chairs — comfort is a must.  Once we finish our picnic, we can kick back in our chairs and take in the crisp, clean pre-autumn air.

Orchards may not always have restaurants, but it’s not uncommon for them to sell baked goods containing the very treasure you came to pick from the trees.  Apple pies, apple dumplings, and — our favorite — apple cider doughnuts provide the perfect accompaniment to our delicious picnic lunch.

At the end of the day, with bags of apples and packages of pies in hand, we head home with full and happy tummies until Apple Month rolls around again next September.