Sunday night was the season premiere of Army Wives on Lifetime TV. I love this show! Since I'm a military spouse, there are so many aspects of the show that hit pretty close to home. So naturally, I was glued to the TV anxiously awaiting the fate of my favorite characters.
Now, I've admitted before that I pathetically watch for Lifetime products in TV shows. Well, Sunday night was no different. Wait, wait. I promise I'm not going to write about every single time I see Lifetime products on TV, but I just have to share a snapshot from Sunday night's Army Wives episode! Why? Because it highlights a great, yet little-known feature, of the Lifetime picnic table.
Check out this first photo. What do you notice? Yep, the table has an umbrella in it! How did that happen? Most people buying a Lifetime picnic table know the tables fold flat for storage since that is how they come in the package and it's mentioned in the assembly instructions/owner's manual. But, a lot of people don't take the time to read the fine print or box text to realize the Lifetime 5', 6' and 8' picnic tables are built to accommodate an umbrella hole. It's not obvious because the tabletop is flat with no holes or indentations. BUT, if you look on the underside of the tabletop, you'll notice a recessed area in the center that you can drill to create an umbrella hole. Simply use a saw that is 1/16" larger than the diameter of your umbrella pole, but no larger than 2" diameter. Center the saw in the hole, drill the hole, then lightly sand the hole edges. Ta-da! Your Lifetime picnic table can now hold an umbrella to give you shade! (I will say, Lifetime neglects to mention this feature in the actual table assembly instructions for some reason. But, you will find the umbrella hole directions in the "Picnic Table Care Instructions" portion".)
The Army Wives episode also showed numerous Lifetime picnic tables in a scene later on in the show. Hmmm, I wonder if the military really does use Lifetime picnic tables in Iraq? I can tell you for certain that a few years ago when my husband was deployed to Qatar, his squadron did in fact ship several Lifetime banquet tables over to Qatar to use as their desks. Unfortunately, that was before my blogging days, so I don't have any photos! Hey, if you're deployed to Iraq or another combat zone, leave us a comment and let us know if you're using Lifetime picnic tables or tables and tell us how they are working out in desert heat and sand storms!
If you missed the Army Wives season 3 premiere, you can watch the full episode online - just be sure to keep your eye out for the Lifetime picnic tables! :)