Making Memories by the Grill #GrillingisHappiness

 One time in elementary school,
my class was asked to draw a picture of a family tradition…
and I drew a picture of my family grilling.
At the time I felt embarrassed that this was my tradition…
but overtime, I grew to realize it was about so much more than grilling.
The fact that we grilled virtually year round and
our home was always open to friends and family brought
us together and gave us a lot of fond memories.

I grew up in Southern California, where it is seemingly always 70 and sunny,
so it makes perfect sense to grill year round!
Grilling was not reserved for the weekend or a camp out or a holiday…

it was a mealtime staple.

I want my kids to have the same fun memories -
setting the table, helping pull the meal together,
selecting a special treat to grill after the meal.
It is one more way to bring us all together as a family and
capture that bit of happiness that lies in every day.

 
I have always loved to grill – veggies, meats, even dessert.
My hubby loves a good grill, but he has a bit of difficulty
understanding my true love for grilling, but...
I buy the food,

I cook the food,

and now I picked the grill!

And, thank to Sears, the #GrillingisHappiness campaign, and Collective Bias
I had the opportunity to find that new grill none-too-soon!

We have a grilling tragedy happening in my house right now…
our current grill has seen better days…
in fact, I am not even sure it can grill anymore…
it is time to put it out of its misery.

Please do not be afraid of this grill…
it had a good life.
It looks even worse in person
(if you can believe that!) and the burners are shot!

It has been 7 years since I shopped for a grill…
With the help of Sears Online Catalog, Simply Outdoors,
and the Grilling is Happiness website (it is happiness!),
combined with my Local Ad,
I was ready to shop and get a brand new grill...
just in time for summer (or this weekend)!

If you are in the market for a grill or anything for the outdoors, be sure to take advantage of what Sears has to offer. Check your local circular for details on the following deals:

• FREE in-store assembly on all gas grills. 
• Save $100 on Kenmore 4-burner Gas Grill. Now $399.99!
• Save an extra 10% off Patio & Grills
• Shop Your Way Rewards members save more each and every season and for every $1 you spend you get 10 points
• Lock in today’s low prices for all of your upcoming events with Sears Layaway! (Yes Sears has Layaway!)

I spent about an hour+ looking at the various grills and comparing styles, prices, and other features. You can read all about my online shopping experience…
step by step on Google+.

The Grilling is Happiness site makes it easy to narrow down your choices and compare the brands in your price point with Grill Finder. Just start by selecting the type of grill you are looking for, then the size, price range, brands, and additional features, and then can compare the options.

I did all of my shopping online!

I instantly  fell in love with this red beauty…
it kind of reminded me of a fancy sports car!
But hubby is not a fan of red.

I did some more looking and found this beauty,
a Kenmore 4 Burner Gas Grill with Open Storage

While perusing the Sears site,
I also picked up a new propane tank and a grill cover  -
both were necessities! I added the electric rotisserie
to the cart but it was not in stock at my store…
so I ordered that and should have it very soon.
I just may have let my fingers wander over to
the Sandra by Sandra Lee section and added
a few fab items to the cart as well.
I have been dreaming of some of these…
and cute accessories are totally necessary for grilling!

Online checkout was SO SIMPLE!
I selected to pick up my items at the local Sears store
– and guess what - that option is Free!
During checkout, I finally registered my Shop Your Way Rewards card.
Time to start getting credit for those purchases!
I have had a card for awhile, but am anxious to learn more
about the rewards and program.
I received 4100 points for this shopping trip!

The next day, after receiving an email and text that my order was ready,
I headed to the store…with the kiddos.
After checking out the store a bit, I headed over to
Merchandise Pick-Up to collect my Grill and order.
I love shopping this way –
every thing was already bagged and ready to go!

I had one little issue, my grill was bigger than I realized
and with the kids, it was never going to fit in my car.
Oops! I brought home all the other items
and returned the next day (without kids) for the grill!

This Kenmore Grill has a new home on my deck

I cannot wait to spend some good times grilling out there.

My son declared this was,

”The best meal EVER!”

Today, our menu included:

Lot sand lots of veggies: asparagus, eggplant,
and kabobs of zucchini/red onion/peppers.

BBQ chicken.

Grilled pineapple.

Watermelon

Of course no meal would be complete without dessert…so I tried

Banana S’mores

(it is really hard to take a good photo of banana)

Sandra Lee told us about them in NYC last week.

(I will share all the recipes in another post).

Just I case you are wondering (you were right?)...
that is my Sears Patio set (minus the umbrella)
that I have had since 1999.
I had to buy new cushions,
and I painted it black last years…
but guess what…it still works!
(OK, patio furniture may be next on my to buy list!)

A simple table, full of fresh, good food,
for my family to gather around certainly puts a smile on my face.
I hope by getting the kids involved and creating
Grill Nights at our house my children will always
have fond memories of grilling too.

#GrillingisHappiness for sure!

Don’t miss a thing!
Look for great deals and offers and merchandise updates
by keeping up with the great deals at Sears:

Sears on Twitter

Sears on Facebook

Sears Shop Your Way Rewards on Twitter

Sears Weekly Deals

_________________________

Do you grill?

What is your favorite thing to grill?

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric