Category / seasons

by Kelly Mattei

Get Ready for Summer

Get ready for summer. In my mind, May 1st is a reminder that summer is just around the corner. I need to prepare myself for what I consider the most fun season of the year! But if you think I’m going to recommend swimwear, think again. Swimwear, to me, is a personal decision. And if you think I’m going to tell you how to get in shape, you’ve come to the wrong place. Aside from that, here are some things I need in preparation for the Summer 2023 season.

For the backyard/patio/pool:

  • Funboy floats (and other products). Y’all, I love Funboy. I started buying Funboy products a couple of years ago when an ad popped up on Instagram, and I love them! They have a huge line of pool floats, beach floats and toys, towels…you name it. You can see their products on Amazon by clicking here. Or click around. To see their beach towels, click here. To see their bestsellers, click here. Pool floats, click here. See their Barbie line here.. And their kids line here. Highly recommend!
  • Unbreakable plates. I love dining outside on the patio/poolside during the summer, but I don’t like chasing paper plates that blow in the wind. That’s why I purchased some unbreakable plates in pretty pastel colors that are dishwasher safe. See them here.
  • Unbreakable Tumblers. From Scandinovia, I love clear, unbreakable tumblers for poolside. See my faves here.
  • Unbreakable stemware. Planning to serve wine poolside? These unbreakable, stemless glasses are perfect! See them here
  • Fly Fans for Tables. If you’re going to be dining outside, you need to keep the flies and other insects away from food. The easiest thing I have found? Fly fans. They’re awesome. I first saw them used at an outdoor restaurant in the Bahamas, and they work like a charm! They’re battery-operated, and they keep the flying insects away from your food! Get yours here.

For you:

  • Miracle Heel Stick and Miracle Foot Repair. We can let our feet become less than pretty during winter, but sandal weather calls for smooth heels and feet. I tried these products after a friend told me about them…good stuff. I even use them on my elbows. Purchase here.
  • Summer nail polishes. Summer calls for summer colors, and Essie has some great ones. If you like to do your own nails, or if you prefer to take your own polish for your mani/pedi, check out the selection here.
  • Volatile Wedge Flip Flop. Like a little lift with your flip flops? These are foam platform with a wedge heel, and they’re super comfortable. I have them in the beige color, because I feel like they make my legs look longer. Perfect for pool days, but I wear them all the time, They come in three color options on Amazon. Get them here. Volatile offers other styles, as well, but I prefer these, because they are the most comfortable to me. You can see their other styles here.
  • Show Me Your Mumu Coverup. I love the Show Me Your Mumu brand, and their Paula pullover has always been a fave. I’m not sure they market it as a cover up, but I love it as a coverup. See it here.
  • Other Coverups. Some of my favorite coverups are simply gauzy, buttondown, long shirts. I have some favorites I got from Amazon here.
  • Head scarf. Riding around with the top down on your convertible or Jeep in the summer? I need something to keep my hair out of my face. A pretty head scarf makes me feel like Jackie O. See some options here.
  • Full headband. Don’t want the scarf? Consider a wide headband to keep your hair off your face. Click here.
  • Beach fragrance. If you like to walk around smelling like the beach even when you’re not at the beach, you can get the fragrance from Bobbi Brown Beach perfume by clicking here, or from Vacation perfume by clicking here.

I’m ready for summer to be here! Bring it on!

by Kelly Mattei

Holiday Gift #2 for 2022

Holiday gift #2 for 2022.

Quick recap: my holiday gift #1 post featured bags by Baboon to the Moon. See the post here.

As the holidays approach, I’m taking stock of things I see and things I love…things I think will make the perfect Christmas or Hanukkah gifts. The second item I’m featuring this year is a fire pit from Solo Stove. I actually mentioned this item in a post last holiday season, but because we get so much joy from our Solo Stove fire pit, I’m featuring again this year. It would be a great gift for Dad or even for Mom, if she likes to spend time outdoors in the evening like I do. Or maybe you have a college student or other adult in your family who lives in a house and likes to entertain?

We have the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0, which is their most popular size of fire pit. According to the website, it’s perfect for backyards, and I can attest to that fact. My husband and I have cocktails or coffee out on our patio…just the two of us or with friends…almost any night we are home, and in the fall, winter, and early spring the Bonfire 2.0 is the perfect smokeless fire pit to keep us warm. It is about 19.5 inches in diameter and heats about 5-6 people. We love the warmth and ambiance it offers when we are out there stargazing, and we love that, when our daughter is home, she and her friends enjoy gathering around it too.

With a chrome finish, the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 is attractive and useful. Plus, because it’s not too big, it’s easy to clean…easy to dump the ashes. Always wait till there is no sign of heat or fire before dumping the ashes. We usually wait till the next time we are ready to use the fire pit to empty the ashes. That way, we know we won’t be inadvertently starting a fire in the garbage can, in the yard, or anywhere else.

Is it actually smokeless? For the most part, yes. My husband would not want to use it if it created a smoky fire. He hates the smell of smoke more than anything. When I first purchased the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0, he was skeptical. And when I first built a fire in it, it seemed like a fail. It was smoky…at first…but once the fire took hold, the fire pit did what it’s supposed to do, and we had a smoke-free fire. However, because my husband gets nervous about burning ashes flying through the air from wood fires, we went in a different direction and purchased Duraflame logs to burn in the fire pit. I was skeptical, but after I realized how easy they are to light, I was sold. And the fire with the Duraflame, because it doesn’t require smoky kindling, starts out smoke free.

Solo Stove makes several different sizes of fire pits, so if you think the Bonfire 2.0 is too large or too small, there are other sizes that could work for you. Their Ranger 2.0 fire pit is 15 inches in diameter, so it’s a little smaller, so it’s most portable. For a larger fire pit, they offer the Yukon 2.0, which has a 27-inch diameter, making it more easy to accommodate up to 13 people!

And if you’re wondering about pricing, the Ranger 2.0, at the time of writing, is on sale at the Solo Stove website for $199, a savings of $100 off the regular price. The Bonfire 2.0, the one we have, is on sale for $239, a savings of $160. And the Yukon 2.0 is on sale for $439, saving the purchaser over $300 off the original price. To see the website, click here.

Because we enjoy our Solo Stove fire pit so much, this gift goes in the category of “highly recommend.” You can’t go wrong with it, and if you do things the easy way, like we do, and get the Duraflame logs, it’s super easy to have instant warmth and ambiance on your patio any time you want it.

But I don’t know how long the sale will last, so if you’re considering it, go ahead and purchase it now! I believe the recipient will think it’s a great gift, and they will thank you for years to come!

Happy shopping!