outdoor entertaining must-haves

Every time I host a gathering, I recognize that I am missing one or two or 10 things that I don't need in everyday life but are essential to a great party. And this weekend's bridal shower taught me a few more items I should add to my list.

1. A drink dispenser
Originally, we had bottles of raspberry lemonade sitting in the boat bucket until we decided to use this little dispenser. Super easy to use and not bad on the eyes - I need to add one of these to my outdoor entertaining suite. I've seen some cute ones before, but this one at Target is a steal. This duo is perfect to have lemonade and iced tea side by side.

2. Boat o' drinks
This fab find is from Homegoods and, into the afternoon, also held vodka, rum, and other goodies. The boat base was perfect for the nautical-themed shower. Now I'm on the hunt for a metal bucket for my summer parties... maybe something like this one?

3. Plastic "glasses"
Classier than the tried-and-true Solo cup, and ones that you don't have to worry about your friends breaking, plastic ware is always great to have on hand for a more formal event. Or you could go all out and purchase acrylic wine glasses. (But then you'd have to wash those instead of just throwing them away, which takes away part of the fun of plastic!)

springtime toys for little ones

Since T's nephew was born 15 months ago, I can't help but check out all of the great products RueLaLa has available for kids when a new Little Rue sale goes up. Here are three great reasons I love having a little kid to buy for (and by "little kid", sometimes I mean myself).

1. I always wanted a Power Wheels car, but how adorable is this pink pedal car? My sisters and I would have loved this growing up.
2. Going on a picnic? Kites are such a fun summertime toy, and with my love of peacocks I'm drawn to this one. 
3. And who can forget those days in gym class when the parachute came out? Best. Days. Ever. Let's bring that back.

bits of my weekend

We took off this weekend for a fun trip to Maine to what I would consider an upscale cabin (part of a resort). Sprout was great on the four hour drive each way, and even though we drove through quite the storm halfway through the drive there, we had a great day both Saturday and Sunday, with gorgeous New England summer weather!

We also stopped by the outlets on the way home, where I picked up this sassy shirt. I had seen it on JCrew's site and was upset when I realized it was all sold out in my size - but not in the store! T's reaction to my purchase: "What is it with you and leopard?"

via

outdoor living

While I would absolutely love an outdoor space that looks like this, living in New England means that just isn't feasible.

image from Pinterest

I really wanted a comfortable conversation set for get-togethers at the house, since we hosted quite a few BBQs last summer and really enjoyed having everyone over. 

Having comfortable outdoor furniture also means I'll be running outside before rain or storms to bring in the cushions (though I guess you could leave them outside?). Yesterday I opened the box of patio furniture that arrived from Bed Bath & Beyond and can't wait to have the set put together and ready for use!

patio set