Today I need a…

Tag: todayineeda

  • Today I Need A… Fire Pit

    Today I Need A… Fire Pit

    Hi all! Welp, this spring is not going as planned. Here in Chicagoland we have had a horrible spring: low temps, late season snow, then rain all the time. It has been a rough start to what is supposed to be a better weather season than winter. Usually, at this point into the spring, our family has enjoyed many nights by the fire before the mosquitoes get too bad in the thick of summer.

    Our entire family loves spending time around the fire pit. We all take a break from screens and just enjoy each others company telling stories and making s’mores. This weekend we also want to try an outdoor movie, I’ll let you know how that goes!

    A few years back we were in the market for a new fire pit. Our old pit did not stand the test of time, it was really pretty with mosaic tile around the outside but the tile started cracking and falling apart after the first season of use. So, as I always do, I researched online for a new fire pit that we could use for years to come and landed on this beauty – the Landmann Big Sky Fire Pit.

    Disregard the weird fake-looking fire, I’m not sure why my phone took this picture like that.

    I ended up getting it for Father’s Day for the hubby from my girls. It comes in a few styles and the girls both picked the one with the animal cut-outs on the sides.

    Boy, have we loved this thing. Let me give you the details on how we help make it last because if you don’t take care of it, it will rust.

    • First, as some reviewers suggested, we sprayed the entire pit with High Heat Rustoleum right after we assembled.
    • Then we added sand and a layer of fire safe bricks.
    • I also always cover it. I don’t want it to rust or to gather water from the rain and then have to scoop out ashy water. This is the cover we bought for it, it’s a bit big but does the job and has held up through 2 summers and winters with lots of rain and snow.
    Classic Accessories Round Fire Pit Cover, Large

    Finally, I thought I would also tell you about these amazing Lighter Cubes we use from Weber. These make starting a fire so, so easy. I literally only need one or two cubes. I place them underneath some of the wood then light them with a lighter, they light fast and easily.

    Weber Lighter Cubes
    You can sort-of see one of the cubes I just lit on fire in this picture.

    And that’s it! Follow some simple steps to take care of your fire pit and it should last for years. Enjoy those s’mores!

    *affiliate links

  • Today I need a… Blog Post

    Well, it’s here: our very first blog post! This is a place for us to share our conversations about products we have tried and loved (or not), great investment pieces, cute finds across the internet and ideas for all aspects of family life. Nanette and I have been working on this idea for a long time, and on more than one occasion it didn’t seem like we would actually get here. But, I’ve gotten a bit ahead of myself. Before I continue, let me introduce who we are and tell you why we wanted to start this blog.

    My name is Carolyn, and my sister and fellow blogger is Nanette. Along with our brothers and third sister, we were raised in the Chicago suburbs, where we grew up on store-brand pretzels, Market Day dinners and Venture tennis shoes bought by our coupon-clipping Super Mom. (Anyone remember Venture with the black and white stripes?) While our taste may have matured a little, and we moved a bit farther from home, the love of a good deal stayed with us.

    This brings us to today, where Nanette and I are both mothers to two girls each, and still love to share when we’ve found a great deal on a great item, big or small. Our simple goal in this blog is to share those deals with you and to give Nanette and I more sister time together even while being separated by geography. Gotta love the internet for staying connected! (The trip from Chicago to Maine is not a quick one.)

    As we post, we truly try to look for items that we as on-the-go mothers, homeowners, and professionals (who work from home) find practical and worth spending our hard-earned money on. With a more classic style, we both prefer to find investment pieces that sometimes may be a bit more than we would prefer to spend, but know in the long run will have been worth the purchase. That’s not to say we don’t love to have fun; you will hear us chatting about the hurdles and joys of raising a family and we definitely never take ourselves too seriously.

    So, as we end our first official post we invite you to come along for the ride, read our thoughts (and share yours), have some fun and maybe just save a dollar or two.