It took me 15 minutes to throw together this simple outdoor date night idea last weekend! If you’re low on energy, money, time, or just want to take advantage of the summer weather, this one’s for you!
With a plethora of twigs, determination, and frantic energy, I was able to put together this cute little date in a very short amount of time.
Although things ended up going horribly, terribly wrong, it’s still a great date idea for a summer night!
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A Simple Fire-pit Date Night
Let me set the scene for you. It was 4th of July Eve. It was a beautiful night. My husband went to meet a friend for a few hours.
I did what I always say I want to do when I don’t have time to do it (are you following?). I was sitting alone on my couch, with my sleeping dog and my white blanket and my computer. I always want to do this. This is my happy place. I’m actually in this exact spot as I write this post.
When adulthood wears me out, that’s what I’m yearning for. “I just want to be alone on the couch with my computer doing nothing”. I always promise myself that I’m going to write a blog post, and I almost always never do.
Anyways!
I was enjoying my solitude and the hidden joy that I get from staying in on a “weekend night” (it was a Monday but you know what I mean). I think I discovered during 2020 that I need a lot more recharge time than I thought and that I really, really like time to myself.
I was enjoying it until I had the fleeting idea that I should do something creatively romantic. S’mores and a fire-pit seemed like a no-brainer. Mind you, I was like aware that there would be fireworks the night before 4th of July, but I didn’t really think about how that would play into our date night…
Keepin’ It Scrappy
I’m not sure if I’m the only one who does this, or if everyone reading this is normal, but there are some parts of my life that I can’t seem to view through any other lens than perfectionism. I have a big, flat yard in an area where there aren’t big, flat yards. It’s manageable and spacious and I shouldn’t say it, but I’m going to say it: it just has so much goddamn potential.
Sometimes it’s hard to look at things as they are and not see them as what I want them to be in my head. Calculating the cost of a patio, trees (so many trees), climbing roses, a koi pond, maybe a pool? My imagination wanders. I can’t seem to just enjoy it for what it is, to accept that some things take time and won’t be done just because I want them done.
Whewwwwww.
Anyways.
I follow a homestead @AcreHomestead on Instagram and YouTube and I appreciate her gardening and insane meal prep videos. She once posted on Instagram about not letting shame stop her from having people over to her house for some holiday. I really felt that. I sometimes feel like I don’t want to have a summer party until my yard is “done”. In reality, I’m missing out on so much fun and memories due to my inability to move past the suffocating shroud of perfection.
So, whatever, maybe it’s not that deep.
I decided to plan a cute little romantic setup and accepted that it didn’t need to look perfect or feel perfect or even be perfect to be memorable and gratifying.
Building the Fire-pit
How to choose the right wood for a fire-pit
- Opt for seasoned hardwood, like oak or maple, for a long-lasting burn and cozy warmth
- Avoid wet or green wood to prevent a sputtering fire
- Gather small sticks or twigs as kindling for easy ignition (or use firestarter!)
- Add a touch of fragrance by incorporating cedar or apple wood
Create the perfect ambiance for romance by selecting the right wood for your fire pit. Or, if you’re doing this at full-spontaneous-Aquarius speed, just use whatever the heck you can find.
My fierce hunting dog helped me pick out a few sticks. We have this huge pile of crap (not sure how else to describe it) in the back corner of our yard, which has become a sort of graveyard for old fence posts, Christmas trees, and now kindling.
It was a bit of trial and error, but here’s what I used:
- A base of dried leaves and grass
- Tightly-crumpled computer paper as a second layer
- Small twigs
- Larger twigs on top
And then I assembled this sort of teepee shape. It was incredibly windy, so it took a few tries to finally get the paper lit.
Fire-pit supplies
We have a little Home Depot firepit, we’re down to one s’more’s poker, and I found the logs in the depths of my very cluttered garage.
If you’ve been gifted with the innate ability to plan things out, here are some tools that get the job done:
- Fire-pit (top rated on Amazon)
- S’mores pokers (definitely get expandable ones)
- Kindling
- Logs
- Fire gloves
Last minute flowers
We have *one* shrub currently flowering in our yard right now. And on that one shrub, there were only a few flowers. I decided that this one was a worthy sacrifice, and cut it’s little hydrangea umbilical cord and settled it into a vase.
Pro-tip: put a cute little rock at the bottom so the flower doesn’t blow over in the wind.
I had my trusted companion helping me with every step. If you’re not familiar with Vizslas, you should know that they’re “velcro dogs”, so he literally was at my side every step of the way.
He ended up causing the whole night to, ahem, misfire- but more on that later.
If there is no food, is it even a date?
Let me answer that for you: no, no it’s not. Snacks are mandatory. Dessert is encouraged. S’mores are my favorite summer treat. Absolutely delicious.
Although I am a hardened store-brand loyalist. I will go against my belief system for s’mores.
They have to be assembled using the following ingredients and the following ingredients only
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate
- Nabisco Graham Cracks
- Jiffy-Puff Marshmallows
If you are now feeling the urge to scroll to the bottom of this post and tell me that I should try using dark chocolate imported from Antarctica or flavored marshmallows or graham-free graham crackers, I want to tell you that this is a *safe space* for all ideas. I also want to tell you that I have my fingers in my ears and I’m not listening. The brands above have got it right, and in the words of a bunch of old people “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Before it all went wrong…
So, I ended up doing the s’mores and filing a basket with water and lit some candles. I also found some Tiki Torches in the garage (I still feel weird about these, are these okay to use??). By this point I was completely delirious with excitement that little old me threw this all together in a matter of minutes. Although I struggled to physically get them into the ground the full 6”, so I did the best I could and just prayed they wouldn’t blow over.
Next, I grabbed a cozy blanket to protect me from mosquitos and I was on my way! I think it ended up pretty cute with the bistro lights as the sun went down.
This beautiful, creative, enthralling moment lasted a mere few minutes. Throughout this time, fireworks were being set off far, far in the distance. It sounded more like thunder, and we had storms rolling through all day anyways.
Vizlsas and Fireworks
I forgot to mention that last 4th of July was a traumatizing event for our dog. Someone set off a firework right by where he was standing on the other side of our fence. He shook and panted for hours.
He was just a few months old at that time, and he’s a gun dog after all, so we really thought he’d grow out of it. As you can probably infer, he did not.
Now, I live in a highly-populated suburb. No one should be setting off any firework of any kind. It’s dangerous, it’s stupid, it’s triggering to vets and pets. I really, really hate the 4th of July and mainly for that reason.
It didn’t sound like anyone nearby had set off fireworks, so I thought we were in the clear. I’d also like to add that I had been checking in with my dog all night and he didn’t seem bothered by the distant shows.
At the end of the day, I should have made a better plan…
Fire Pit Fun
Within minutes of lighting my fire, it had erupted into a roaring fire. A bit larger than my comfort level allowed (did I mention that this was my first fire?).
I remember thinking “this is so nice, why don’t I do this more often?”.
As soon as that first firework went off, I had a 75lb dog shaking in my lap. I’m not sure how he did it, but he was dead weight on my body. I couldn’t move him.
I had a moment of sheer panic, especially as more idiots started setting off fireworks. I tried to maneuver my arms around my dogs body but he was unable to move from the fear.
Obviously, I started texting my husband that he needed to come home. By now my fire is raging and I’m nervous that my daughter would wake up from the bangs.
I ended up wrapping him in the blanket on my lap and getting him inside, only to now have the dilemma of comforting a shaking dog or leaving a fire unattended.
I was able to run outside, move the logs around, and position myself at the window so I could keep my arms around my dog and my eyes on the withering flames.
My husband was obviously confused when he came home. I was pretty disappointed that we couldn’t enjoy my romantic moment in its glory, but we were able to sneak away from the dog for a few minutes to make a s’more.
It’s the effort that counts!
Have you had a romantic gesture go wrong? Have an opinion on s’mores ingredients? Let me know below!
Mandy
What a great effort for a date night! Your setup looks so cute and cozy. But so glad nothing bad happened to your fire or poor dog! Could def try again with your hubby home!
Olivia
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment! Definitely going to try again on a firework-free night, LOL!