Thermacell Patio Shield - Our Summer Miracle!

The mosquito population in Regina this summer is three times higher than usual!  For people who love to entertain in the yard, and cook and eat outside most of the summer, we were a little concerned about how we were going to keep the mosquitoes at bay.  As luck would have it, just as my summer holidays were starting, the people at Thermacell offered to send me a couple of Patio Shields to try out.  I quickly discovered they are the ultimate mosquito repeller.

One of these Patio Shields effectively repels mosquitoes in a 15x15 foot zone.  They were a breeze to put together; there are little pads that slide in at the top, and a small butane cartridge that screws into the bottom.

Then you just turn the bottom of the shield to click it on.  Each pad lasts about four hours, and the butane cartridges about 12 hours.  You don't have to use them all at once, and can turn the Patio Shields off when you're going inside for a while, to prepare your food for the grill for instance, and then turn them back on when you head back outside.

There is no mess, no spray, no open flame, no scent, no noise, and they are DEET-free.  They use the same ingredients that make chrysanthemum flowers deter insects.

We have used them on five separate occasions in our backyard now, and have not been bothered by a single mosquito while they've been on!  We've been able to cook and eat outside well into the evening, and even sat outside close to midnight recently without getting a single bite, and while using no other form of repellent.

 
Needless to say, we are beyond impressed.  We actually just ordered enough refills to last us for the rest of the summer.

We've tried putting the two Patio Shields across from each other on opposite sides of the patio ...

We've put them under the table ...

They've worked perfectly for us no matter where we place them on the deck, as long as we are sitting within the 15x15 foot area. 

Actually, the only time we saw any mosquitoes was when the pad wore out while we were sitting outside.  It takes a couple minutes to let the top cool down so you can switch out the pad, and within those couple minutes the mosquitoes started coming!!  As soon as we got the new pad in, we were smooth sailing for another four hours.

These Thermacell Patio Shields are a summer saver for us, and they will be living on our patio from now on.

Run, don't walk to get yourself one or two; there is still a lot of summer left!

If you are in the United States you can buy your mosquito repeller here.
If you are in Canada, you can buy one here (it's a different style, but same thing).  And the refills from here or here.  Check out the raving reviews people have left on each of those sites as well!

Have the mosquitoes been bad where you are this year?

Are you prone to mosquito bites? 

(They seem to love me, and I react really badly to them too.)

Full disclosure:  The Thermacell Patio Shields were provided to me free of charge.  All opinions are my own.  I just purchased a load of refills, because I am not living without this product this summer.

Wine and Cheese Party

On Friday evening we hung out in the kitchen, listening to jazz and dancing, while I baked and Christopher made dinner.  I made some spiced nuts, and 65 double chocolate merlot cookies, while Christopher whipped up spaghetti and meatballs.

The next morning we cleaned the house, and got prepped for the evening.

We were having a wine and cheese evening with a close group of friends we get together with quite often.  Almost everyone in the group has had babies within the last two years, so grown-up evenings have become less common, and we thought it would be fun to get everyone together for a classy little evening, sans children.  We sent out invites back in December.

We had fun choosing many different cheeses (I think 17) and accompaniments, and then plating/arranging everything.

There was food in the living room, dining area, and the kitchen.

I forgot to get pictures of the hot dips in the kitchen - oops!  The dining table was full of goodies though ...

We had a fun evening catching up with pals, and snacking for hours.  As usual, we had way too much food ... but it's always better to have too much rather than not enough.

How was your weekend?  What did you do?

Italian Feast - Dinner Guests

The anticipation before our dinner guests arrive is always exciting for us; we love to entertain, and even more so, we love to cook and eat.  We prep a bit the night before, and then spend the morning and early afternoon making sure everything is just right.

Last night Christopher's parents came over for an Italian feast.

We started with prosecco and a caprese salad amouse bouche.

Next up was bread with our favourite olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.

Then we enjoyed antipasto (prosciutto, Genoa salami, mini cheese stuffed squash, olives, olive bruschetta, crostini, gorgonzola, provolone, and romano cheeses).

Baked fontina:

It was a beautiful evening, but for the next course we made our way into the house.  Christopher and his dad really enjoyed the Limoncello we had while waiting for soup.

The next part of our meal was Italian wedding soup.

The main course was creamy parmesan fusilli with bacon.

Finally, we had dessert - tiramisu of course.

Following dinner there was live music (Christopher was showing off his bass skills, which are quite impressive for a new bass player), and even some dancing (the in-laws have moves)!

All in all, it was a fantastic evening full of good eats, great company, and many laughs.  It was the perfect way to spend our Saturday evening.

How was your weekend?  What did you do?