Saturday, March 16

Petanque, Badminton, Croquet - OH MY! Spring & Summer Lawn Games






I don't know about you all but I had a wonderful childhood. Jam packed full of fond memories. My days were happy ones...pretty much growing up inside a 'bubble'. My sister and I were friends with the girls in our neighborhood and we played outdoors mainly, except on those rare rainy days when we pulled out our favorite board games to occupy our time. One of our favorite outdoor pastimes was to play games of croquet. My friends and I unearthed a croquet set my parents had stashed away in our garage.


Which is slightly odd, I don't think I ever saw my parents or their friends play this century old lawn game. Even so we found it way back in the garage and as kids will do, we drug it out to play. Having no idea what we were doing, we made up rules as we went along. So croquet, what is it? Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops often called 'wickets', especially in the US, embedded into the grass playing court. 


And yes, technically that is croquet. For me though, croquet was simpler. It was sunny Spring days, freshly mowed lawns, the crack of the mallet on those pretty wooden balls and sweet young girlfriends who enjoyed laughter and being silly MORE than winning the game. What a wonderful tradition my parents shared with us just by keeping that old rickety croquet set in the garage......and what I wouldn't give to have that very same set in my garage for my children to create their own memories. 







With that in mind......

If you're looking for a new and unique idea for your next party....embrace the outdoors and invite your friends and neighbors over for an evening full of good food and lawn games. This party is sure to create a little  friendly competition!




Set up activities on your lawn like croquet, pétanque and badminton.  Separate the areas with decorations, such as different colored paper lanterns hanging above in the trees,  or decorative signs announcing the game.  Since your guests will be occupied with competition, set up two separate stations – one of festive drinks, one of delicious easy pick-ups. For the drinks, offer iced tea and a frozen lemonade with blackberry puree served in glass drink dispensers and old fashioned sodas.  For the pick-ups, arrange a buffet of appetizers that are easy to grab in between plays. These stations are perfect for encouraging your guests to self-serve. 



For the hostess who is always looking for a new take on an old classic – this party just may be for you!  Let the games begin!

Petanque


Badminton

Croquet


These wonderful lawn games are relatively easy for the novice to learn and inexpensive to purchase. You can find them at any sporting goods store like Academy. If you have never had the joy of playing these classic lawn games, make an evening of it with your friends....
....you'll be glad ya did!


ENJOY!
~THE DOMESTIC CURATOR~
RONDA



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