Memorial Day Celebrations: Rain or Shine

It’s Memorial Day Weekend – Get Prepared for Celebrations in Rain or Shine!

Memorial Day weekend is almost here!  That means summer is right around the corner, kids are out of school, and the time has come to spend every waking moment outdoors!

Here at the Rosewood and Grace home, we just got our concrete patio poured, so we couldn’t be more excited that the weather is finally nice and the time has finally come to get outdoors.  We may not have a perfectly manicured yard yet, or even grass for that matter, but at least we’ve got a space to sit outside, grill, and firepit for Memorial Day.

Now, before I get too excited about the prospect of having a perfectly warm, sunny Memorial Day weekend, I have to keep in mind that I live in the Midwest.  For any of my fellow Midwesterners out there, you know that you can plan for sun and 80 degree temperatures, and instead you get rain and 50 degree temperatures.  Because of the uncertainty of our weather, I have learned over the years that I must always be prepared to move activities indoors at the drop of a hat.

So, with that being said, I want to share with you some great ways to celebrate Memorial Day weekend in rain or shine.

Celebrating Memorial Day: Shine

So I’m pretty sure it goes without saying, but if the sun is out over Memorial Day weekend, we’ll all most likely be spending our time outdoors.  Even more specifically, the patio or the pool.

So, a few must haves for an outdoor Memorial Day celebration:

• A Grill – No patio is complete without a grill, and that’s especially true on holidays like Memorial Day and 4th of July.  Not to mention, grilling doesn’t have to be reserved for just hamburgers and hotdogs, but pizzas, kebobs, and vegetables are all great to cook on the grill!
• A patio umbrella – You don’t want to start your summer off with a bad sunburn, so be sure to have a large patio umbrella available for guests to relax under to escape the rays as they wish.
• Melamine dinnerware – I can’t say enough about how important it is to have melamine dinnerware for your outdoor dining.  You certainly don’t want to take your good, heavy-duty dishes outdoors and risk them being dropped on the ground and broken, but paper plates get blown around with every gust of wind.  Enter melamine dinnerware.  You can pick it up fairly inexpensively and it’s heavier than paper plates, better for the environment than Styrofoam plates, and doesn’t break like regular dishes if dropped!
• Outdoor games – Bags (or cornhole, depending on where you’re from) is always a great game to play for an outdoor gathering.  Other games to consider are Bocci, Horseshoes, Hillbilly golf, and wiffle ball, just to name a few.  Also, be sure to have kid-friendly things on hand, like sidewalk chalk and bubbles so the little ones can partake in the festivities as well.
• A firepit: Just because the sun goes down doesn’t mean the fun has to stop.  Turn on the cafe lights and get the fire pit going to keep the party going!  Roasting smores or hotdogs on the fire pit is always a fun activity for everyone!

Patio Inspiration

If you haven’t set up your patio yet for the summer, now’s a good time to head out to take advantage of Memorial Day sales on patio furniture, grills, fire pits and more!

Below are a few of my favorite patio items from Wayfair.com to give you a little inspiration for your weekend shopping!