College, Housewife Advice, Life Lessons 1

House Divided

By Diamond · On October 10, 2013

Fall is my absolute favorite season! It’s a time for boots, cool breeze, cozy sweaters & pumpkin spice lattes! But in the South, Fall means a whole lot more! Two words… COLLEGE FOOTBALL. Football is everything! … especially to my husband. I live in what I would like to call a “multi-faith” household, we’re both Christians, but we both cheer on (practically worship – I feel pretty convicted about this, ha!) different football teams. House divided.

Not only did my husband and I attend different universities, we both attended each other’s rival school. (It’s a miracle we even got married in the first place.) Unfortunately, we live closer to his alma mater, so when Fall roles around he makes an effort to attend EVERY home game, and he always drags me along. Gross, right? I was raised to despise his school, and now I’ve married into the ugliest color combination in the South. On the bright side, everyone enjoys a good tailgate, so I’d put a smile on my face at every game. When we first started dating I rebelled! I refused to wear their hideous colors, I stayed neutral by wearing white sundresses & boots (I never followed that no white after labor day rule), and when he would attend my home games (this rarely happened) he would refuse to wear my team colors. We were both so stubborn. (He still is stubborn)

After two years of wearing white I waved my surrender flag, and I finally let him buy me a dress in his team’s colors. My husband means the world to me, so if wearing ugly colors puts a smile on his face, so be it. I even went to the extent of buying myself his team’s t-shirt and wearing it to bed on his birthday, he claims it was the greatest birthday present he’s ever received! Men…..

So, now that I’m wearing his colors & attending his games, I figured maybe I should put a positive spin on the situation and put my skills to use. (That is, my Pinterest skills to use) Since I’m forced to attend these games for the rest of my life, I may as well have the cutest tailgate around!

Everyone loves a good tailgate and especially a good host. Over the top is always good when it comes to a tailgating. Trust me. The more you do, the more every other man in the area will be jealous. Secretly, every man wants their woman to be a good host. It makes them feel like they’ve got the best catch around. It’s true, try it. Next time the boys are over, offer all the guys a beer or snack (or better yet, bring it out without even asking) – he’ll be smiling for days.

Now, back on topic – tailgates. Here is a list of things I recommend for an amazing tailgate.

Reserve the perfect tailgate location for the year
Buy a folding table so your tailgate is more mobile
Find a precious and unique table cloth. A good example is fake grass from Lowes or Home Depot to give a football field look… or you can find a cute table cloth that perfectly matches your colors and theme at Homegoods, Target, or Etsy — The more unique the better! (Competition of the best table cloth.)
Buy a cute cupcake stand and make precious cupcakes to go on it. (Themed cupcake decorations are always perfect!)
Order a cookie cutter online in the shape of your mascot.
Search for cute plates at Homegoods, Target, Etsy, Etc that match your theme. Sometimes it can be something as simple as a simple pin stripe of color that matches.
Buy ribbon that matches and tie it onto baskets, hand sanitizer, etc… Ribbon is perfect for finishing touches!
Buy a water container so that you’re able to rinse things off, if needed.
Make sure to bring napkin, silverware, and an extra cooler!
Bring enough ice for your guests and your coolers
Make sure you have food containers with lids. This way you don’t make a mess in your car on the way to the game and back.
Bring a mini trashcan in the color of your team.
If you’re bbqing, have all the condiments ready to go! I like to get a cute metal container and fill it with ice, then place the condiments inside, so that it’s nice and chilled. (Make sure the container matches the theme – we have a good thing going here, you can’t go off theme!
Now, time for the mini bar — I have a large oval ice bucket, I fill it with ice and place all the alcohol inside. I then place cups and mixing supplies near it. It’s always nice to have dishes with garnishes for your drinks. It’s a cute touch.
Find a decoration that you can use as a paper weight if needed, you never know how the weather will be! At Hobby Lobby I found a decorative figurine/statue that looks like a super cute version of the mascot. I always get compliments. Find yours and show it off at your tailgate table!
If you’re really looking to go over the top, have Koozies made that advertise your tailgate! It’s always a fun touch. If you don’t have koozies made, I still recommend filling a basket full of koozies – they always come in handy!
Bring extra folding chairs, just incase someone needs one.
Remember sunscreen.
If your man likes technology, I recommend him setting up a satellite at the tailgate and placing your tv in the back of the car. It makes for a great theater! Everyone will enjoy it, especially if they don’t have tickets to the game.
Last but not least, there are tons of decoration ideas. Walk around Michaels or Homegoods and when you see something creative for your tailgate, snag it! An example of this could be a cute chalk board!