A Casual Fire Pit Party

Recently Trey and I hosted a little get-together in our backyard. The backyard is one area of our home that I don't feel is totally finished yet. But the feature we love most is a fire pit area we installed last summer. We LOVE our fire pit! There's just something about sitting around a fire with friends. We decided to host a fire pit party before the weather gets too chilly in the coming months. We kept things simple by serving, what I like to call, a hot dog bar. We had turkey and veggie hot dogs everyone could roast over the fire along with favorite toppings. Full disclosure: Veggie dogs get pretty weird and wart-y looking when you cook them over a fire. We had: feta and cheddar cheese, pickled jalapeno, potato chips (it's a side or a topping!), salsa, cilantro, ketchup, mustard and chipotle mayo.For dessert we served fancy s'mores. This is my favorite outdoor dessert (we served similar s'mores at this party). To make these you simply melt chocolate, spread on a graham cracker and then sprinkle on a few toppings like sea salt, pistachios, dried fruit or candy. Once the chocolate dries you are ready to go! We also served fresh fruit, Nutella and mini cake donuts, so guests could go crazy with their s'more creations!We got a few hay bales for extra seating (covered with a little scrap fabric). And, we set up these army tents (we got them on Amazon) for extra decor. I may or may not have begged Trey (and Love Love!) to get in a tent with me to pose for a picture. But the most important part of any party is the memories made. We spent plenty of time watching the dogs run around and passing around Elias (cutest baby ever, right?). I've really enjoyed growing closer to Michelle this season. I think we started to connect during my wedding season, and she (and her sweet family) are quickly becoming very special friends to Trey and me. I feel like in high school making new friends was second nature. New person talking to me? New friend! But as I get a little older, I think I'm more intentional about choosing and surrounding myself with good, sincere people. The Houghtons are just that. Glad they could come out and roast some weenies with us. 🙂  Thanks for letting me share this casual little party with you. Do you have any special events planned before the holiday season starts up? xo. Emma

Credits // Author: Emma Chapman, Photos by: Janae Hardy, Thanks to Jeff, Michelle and Elias Houghton.