Category / cocktails

by Kelly Mattei

College Game Day Essentials

College game day essentials.

It’s finally football season…the most wonderful time of the year! And what’s more fun than spending time with friends and family, pregaming or watching a game together?

Whether you’re hosting friends and family at home or hosting a tailgate, there are some things you’ll need. Check out these suggestions:

  • Tailgate/game day cookbook. I have a favorite, and you can get it from Amazon. It is The Southern Tailgating Cookbook, written by Taylor Mathis, an alumnus of my daughter’s high school. The book contains great recipes the author collected at tailgates across the south. I heard Mr. Mathis speak about the fun he had researching the book, so I had to have it. Get it here.
  • Cheese Board Deck. My friend, Angela, gave me this deck of charcuterie/cheese board ideas, and I love it! Charcuterie boards are an easy, beautiful way to entertain! The deck shows photos and lists ingredients for different types of charcuterie boards, and the price is right at $17.99! Each card in the box tells you exactly what cheeses, fruits, etc. to buy for the corresponding board. Get it here.
  • Football paper plates. If you’re hosting the tailgate or party and don’t want to have dishes to wash later, these cute football paper plates fit right with a game day theme. Get them here.
  • Full set of disposable paper products. Wanna keep it easy and but a full set of football themed disposable paper products? You can do that on Amazon here.
  • Football Serving Trays (3pieces). How about some fun nesting trays that are football themed? If you’re going to be hosting a tailgate or having guests at home, follow through on a football theme with a set of trays that can be used for chips, dips, appetizers or beverages. Get them here.
  • Football cocktail napkins. Maybe you’re just tailgating with cocktails? If so, you’ll need cocktail napkins that are just for tailgating. These are great to have around all the time, in fact. Get them here.
  • Bug fans. If you’re going to have food outside, you will attract flies. How to get rid of them? Keep these small, battery-operated, tabletop fans around your food. They really work, and they’re priced right at about $35 for four. Get them here.
  • Handheld paper fans for guests. Tailgating in the south? You’ll and all your guests will be hot. A great addition to any southern tailgate? Handheld paper fans for all! You can purchase at pack of 20 for about $15 in your team color here.
  • Yeti coolers and cups. You have to keep those drinks cold! Choose from a variety of Yeti coolers and cups for your pregame tailgate or your game day party at the Yeti Amazon store here.
  • Solo Stove. Night game? Need a portable fire pit? Solo Stove makes great ones! We have the Bonfire model, and we love it. Get it at Amazon for about $345 now. Purchase here. You’ll use it for years to come.
  • All-in-One Tailgating Table. I stumbled upon this and thought it was a great thing for tailgates! Sometimes, it’s hard to figure out how to organize a tailgate, but this table can certainly help! Get it here.
  • Football-themed Beer Pong Table. Pong is all the rage, so having a beer pong table is almost a necessity at a tailgate or home football party. There’s a great one at Amazon for $99 here.
  • Cornhole boards. Cornhole brings a group together, for sure! If you want cool regulation sized boards, there are some great ones at Amazon here. You don’t care if it’s not regulations sized? Then you might like a set for about $80 from Amazon here.

  • Folding chairs. If you’re going to need to take a folding chair, you can find lots of them at all price points at Amazon here.
  • JBL speakers. Every tailgate or game day party needs tunes before the game, and with a bluetooth speaker, you can even listen to pregame and game broadcasts! JBL has a great assortment of bluetooth speakers on Amazon here. We have a small JBL speaker, the Charge 5 ($179.95), that puts out great sound. You can see it here. And we have a larger one, the JBL Boombox 2 ($399.95) that puts out bigger sound that you can see here. If you want the newer version, the Boombox 3, it’s great and will set you back $499.95. See it here. (pictured below)

Are you ready for some football?!

by Kelly Mattei

We Love Our Patio

We love our patio.

Most of our backyard is patio and pool. There is some grass, and I have a garden area, but most of the yard is patio and pool. Because most of the year has pretty mild temperatures in Charlotte, North Carolina, we get to enjoy it a lot.

During the spring of the pandemic (ugh, I hate even typing that word!), we were fortunate to have good weather. Starting the middle of March, our little family spent time on the patio almost every day. We had some great times with our friends and neighbors, but of course, at some point, we would always remember the “pandemic” that had interrupted all our lives. I wanted to jazz up the patio, just to give it a more fun feel, so I purchased some Solar Floating Pool Lights from Amazon (you can see them here), in hopes that I could throw them into the pool. They could absorb sunshine during the day and give us a color-changing light show(ish) at night!

They arrived, and I inflated them. I put them into the pool to absorb sunshine, so they would shine at night. We must not have had any breeze that day, because the floating pool lights didn’t seem to go rogue. But that night, when the wind picked up, all the floating lights skimmed across the water and “gathered” in one area of the pool. It just looked weird…not fun. So I got an idea…instead of using them in the pool, string them up and create a party light effect from the front of the poolhouse! Tacky? Yes! Fun? Yes, too! It just gave the patio a bit of color.

Those floating lights have been restrung on the front of the pool house a few times, but they’re still there! One of them split, and we had to replace it, but generally speaking, we keep six of them strung across the front of the pool house at all times. We used plain old fishing line and some hanging hooks…works like a charm! They add some colorful light without the hassle of electricity, reminding me every day that we found ways to have good times during the pandemic.

by Kelly Mattei

Father’s Day Gifts 2023

Father’s Day Gifts 2023.

Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 18!

Let’s just get right to it. You know Dad needs a gift. Here are some things you can order from Amazon and have delivered directly (and quickly) to you or your dad:

  • Ice Ball Mold. If Dad’s a whiskey drinker, he’ll love this ice ball mold. If he drink’s sodas but doesn’t like them diluted, ice balls melt more slowly, because they are larger. At under $12, this is a great gift! Purchase here.
  • JBL Portable Speaker. Teenagers aren’t the only ones who love to have tunes! My husband takes his JBL speaker on vacation, so he can use it on boats, beaches, or by the pool. He also uses it if he’s working outside at home. JBL makes lots of great portable speakers. If you need something really small and easily portable, the JBL Go 3 or the JBL Clip might be best. They’re both small but put out big sound. See them here. My husband prefers the JBL Flip 6, which is a little larger speaker with great sound for the beach. See JBL Flip speakers here at lots of different price points between $67 and $200. It’s a gift Dad will love!
  • Massage Chair Cushion. My husband loves a good massage. No, he won’t get a full-on massage from this chair cushion, but for $49, he will get some soothing heat and vibration. Get it at Amazon here.
  • Yeti Cooler/Cup. If dad ever tailgates, camps, or spends time at the beach, a Yeti cooler will always come in handy. They come in lots of different sizes and price points. They are built to last and keeps sodas and beers super cold! If you don’t want to spend the $$$ for a cooler, a Yeti cup won’t set you back so much, and it makes a great gift for Dad too! Check out the Yeti page on Amazon here.
  • Tabletop Ice Maker. These are great for tailgates or in the mancave. I know several people who have the portable tabletop ice makers, and they love them! Priced under $80, they’re a bargain! See it here.
  • Lifestraw Products. If dad enjoys the great outdoors, camps, or travels to countries where the water supply is questionable, Lifestraw Products could make a great gift for him! I love the originial Lifestraw (the actual straw) for portability, but they also make pitchers and bottles with the Lifestraw technology to clean water. See Lifestraw here. Prices start as low as about $9 for the original straw.
  • Solo Stove. Solo Stove makes great, easy-to-use, smokeless firepits. Some are portable, and some are even tabletop (shown in photo below)…perfect for roasting marshmallows for s’mores! Or get a larger one for those evenings when he’s gathering with family and friends on the patio. We love ours! See all of Solo Stove’s offerings on Amazon here.

There are a few ideas! Get busy shopping! Father’s Day is Sunday!