This is going to sound horrible but the fact is my wife and I aren’t the best hosts when having a BBQ, party, or just having friends over. It’s not that we don’t want to – per say (LOL), but after a long work week, we just want to kick back and relax (or party). This year we decided it’s finally time to start stepping up our game. We figured the first step to becoming great hosts is having the right home essentials to make our porch look inviting and feel like you’re away on vacation rather than actually at home. We hit up our local Marshalls, like we do every week (or sometimes twice a week), and scored some great finds. We couldn’t wait to see how everything looked all set up, so we decided to have a test-run and throw ourselves a pre-father’s day BBQ. Of course it decided to rain that day, so we took it indoors and spent the afternoon in our screened-in porch. We just got back from the Caribbean so we wanted it to be bright and feel a little exotic. We scored a bunch of really cool flamingo pieces – like these dinner plates, a serving plate, and this fun table cloth. For cups, we went with classic BBQ mason jars (but with the handle, to make it more functional). We already had a picnic table, but wanted to add some more seating so we also picked up these really chic looking white outdoor chairs that are made of some sort of rubbery plastic – almost like the same kind of material they use for jelly shoes! We added a few plants around the table (to be honest, the more plants the better) and made some pink lemonade in our new beverage dispenser. This will probably be one of the only times you will see this used as a non-alcoholic beverage dispenser (LOL). My wife and I like to find new cocktail recipes during the summer weekends to relax & sip by the pool. One of my son Nate’s favorite pick-ups were these cute little pig corn-holders…they really are too cute. We used them with our corn trays that we actually already had from a previous Marshalls shopping trip. We’ve been searching for a larger home cooler/drink tub for awhile now and finally found one that we were happy with – love the white with the wood handle. I love the Marshalls home section, but rarely do I leave that store without an apparel piece in hand! So…onto my outfit! I wanted to be ready to jump in the pool at any moment the sun came out but I wasn’t in the mood to look and feel so casual. This summer I’m all about comfortable, flowy shirts – and this designer button down was just that. I paired it with this classic spring green bathing suit. The linen top really elevated my bathing suit and made it feel more like an outfit rather than just a bathing suit. We actually also picked up Nate’s little tie-dye tee in Marshalls as well. He loves that store – but mainly the toy section (haha). We are so happy with the way our porch turned out and can’t believe how it transformed with just some small decor additions. Now, we cannot wait to tackle the outside porch and find some new outdoor seating pieces! Our pre-father’s day BBQ dress rehearsal was a success so I think my wife and I may finally be ready to host! Since Father’s Day is right around the corner – here are some gift ideas you can pick up at any Marshalls, that I’d personally love to receive: a new wallet or money-clip card holder, new grilling utensils, cozy pajama pants (my son always picks out a fun print at Marshalls – last year he picked out these lounge pants covered in sharks for me, and I LOVE the fact that he picked them out himself…so much more special that way), new shoes (I mean, this is a no brainer for me – I might have more pairs than my wife), or just stop by any Marshalls and they always have that cool little section of the latest gadgets and unique gifts for any guy! Overall though, just getting quality time to spend with my family is honestly the best gift of all. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! Check Out My Feature In Their GET INSPIRED Section!