Simple Entertainment

I found the metal fire pit on Craigslist for $30.00 and we built the stone pit ourselves.  We didn't use mortar so the pit can be moved as the landscape of our backyard changes

In our house we tend to crave the simple life, even in our entertainment choices.  This doesn't mean we are fuddy duddies by far! Our neighbors have been known to knock on our front door before... Heck, they have even called the police once!  Now, I must admit, the reason for the call was because Racey was chopping wood for our outside fire pit and the neighbors considered that too loud!  Honestly I think they were mad because we didn't invite them over to enjoy our wonderful company! (Just kidding)  We have found the most simple thing can be the most enjoyable.  We love to sit outside in the fall and winter and just stare into the fire.  We almost always have some type of music playing on the iHome outside.  The kids (16, 18, and 20) float through the back yard randomly and most of the time wind up crashing our party by bringing their friends over to enjoy the fire and conversation.  Who would have thought that modern teenagers would enjoy sitting outside in the dark around a fire, listening to music of their parents choice, and having simple conversation and laughs?!?

This was taken last winter, you can see my legs are covered with a small blanket.  My son, McClane is holding our dog Woofus.

Another thing we do is turn off ALL the lights and light candles or oil lamps throughout the house. In the summer we tend to play cards or even shoot pool on a miniature pool table someone was throwing away.  In the winter we love to make a pallet out of several blankets and get all our fluffy pillows and put that in front of the fire and just sit and relax.  This gives Racey and I time to decompress from our day or week and it's amazing how easy it is to talk.  We can sit there for hours just connecting and spending time together. 

Talk about frugal entertainment, this is it!  Any budget can afford this.  I'm always on the lookout for candles at Goodwill, and we get our firewood for free off Craigslist.  The only real expense is the food and drink.  We have to eat no matter what we do so no real cost there, the only expense is if we choose to have some wine. *grin*


The next time you are craving some special time with your hubby or want to get the kids to put down their smart phone before their thumbs fall off, give this a try.  In my opinion it doesn't get much better than this!