This weekend will kick off grilling season, backyard barbecues, and a time to kick back and watch the kids chase fireflies.  It will also kick off the time you're allowed to wear white sandals until Labor Day.  The Midwest girl in me still thinks about this rule when it comes to Memorial Day.  

With summer about to be in full swing it's easy to think of backyard barbecue essentials.  We don't have a backyard and we may not have a barbecue soon, so I'm left to daydream and live vicariously through friends who do have backyards, patios, grills, and the need for some of these essentials.

Here are a few things I've come across that would be just lovely to have for long nights on the patio and under the stars.