The official start of Summer is only a week away. Make sure to take time to kick back and catch up on some much needed relaxation. There is no better way to relax than hanging with your feet up in a hammock.

What is your favorite way to kick back in the summer?

The sun is hot, the shade is cool. Lounging in a hammock is a great way to beat the heat this summer! You don’t have a hammock? Well, you are in luck!

In honor of National Hammock Day and our very first store, Hammocks.com, Hayneedle is hosting a Hammocks Twitter Party.  Hayneedle will give away five amazing hammocks during the event!  All winners will be chosen at random via the RSVP list. You must attend the party and answer the questions correctly in order to win!

You’re invited to Hayneedle’s National Hammock Day Twitter Party

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When: July 22 at 8pm CST.

Where: Twitter using hashtag #Hayneedle

How can you join? Well, that’s simple!  RSVP using the link below, and start following:

Follow Hayneedle on Twitter. @Hayneedle
Follow @hayneedleyards
Follow @hayneedlegreen
 Follow @hayneedletots
Follow @hayneedlepets
“LIKE” Hayneedle on Facebook!

TWEET! @Hayneedle is having a Hammocks Day Twitter Party! Join us 7/22 at 8pm CST! To RSVP & see the prizes go to http://hayn.tl/30

RSVP HERE TO ENTER

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@hayneedle will ask the questions.

@hayneedleyards will pick the winners using Random.org via the RSVP list.

If you’re a winner, you will DM @hayneedlegreen to let her know what you won. Be sure to include your shipping information and a phone number!

Look carefully at the products and websites listed below, as answers will come directly from our sites.  Your teachers were right- studying is important!

All winners are chosen at RANDOM.  We will NOT go by 1st answer, 5th answer, etc. To give everyone a fair chance, we’re leaving it up to random.org.

If random.org picks someone who answers the question but is NOT present during the party when winners are announced, we will re-draw until we find someone who is present and participating!

These are bigger prizes, so keep in mind we may try to stump you with the questions!

We hope to see you there. Be sure to RSVP, otherwise you won’t have the chance to win these awesome hammocks:

Island Bay XL Rope Hammock with Metal Stand & Pillow

• New and improved for 2010!
• Our top-selling hammock 6 years running
• Room for 2 people; 450-lb. weight capacity
• Heavy-duty 14-gauge steel stand in choice of colors
• Newly available with our custom faux woodgrain stand!
• Choose 100% cotton or polyester
• Pillow available in several color options
• Heavy-gauge powder-coated steel stand
• Overall hammock length: 13 ft.
• Stand measures 13 – 15 ft. L x 4 ft. W x 3 ft. 9 in. H
• Retail Value $174.98

Island Bay Seagrass Quilted Hammock with Stand

• Hammock, stand, pillow, and hanging hardware
• 450-lb. weight capacity
• Heavy-duty 14-gauge steel stand in choice of colors
• Weather-resistant fabric
• Overall hammock length: 11 ft. 5 in.
• Stand: 13-15 ft. L x 4 ft. W x 3 ft. 9 in. H
• Retail Value $199.98

XXL Mayan Hammocks with Adjustable Stand

• Handmade from durable and soft cotton or nylon
• Includes XXL Mayan Hammock and Stand
• 350-lb. weight capacity
• Durable powder-coated steel frame
• Diamond weave for remarkable strength
• Choose from a variety of beautiful hammock colors
• Fabric weave surrounds metal ring for increased durability
• Overall hammock length: 14 ft. 8 in.
• Stand: 11.5 – 14.5 ft. L x 3 ft. 3 in. W x 3 ft. 10 in. – 4 ft. 6 in.
• Retail Value $168.99

Island Bay Sienna Stripe Quilted Hammock with Stand

• Large enough for 2 people; 450 lb. weight capacity
• Stand is made from heavy-duty 14-gauge steel
• Striped hammock in weather-resistant fabric
• Overall hammock length: 6 feet 5 inches
• Stand dimensions: 13-15L x 4W x 3.75H feet
• Hammock, stand, matching button-on pillow
• Quilted, weather resistant polyester fabric
• Classic stripes in various shades of orange and brown
• Room for 2 people; 450-lb. weight capacity
• 14-gauge steel stand with powder-coated finish
• Stand offered in several color options
• Hanging hardware is included
• Overall hammock length: 11 ft. 5 in.
• Stand: 13 – 15 ft. L x 4 ft. W x 3 ft. 9 in. H
• Retail Value $199.98

Island Bay Nautical Quilted Hammock with Stand

• Hammock, stand, matching button-on pillow
• Quilted, weather resistant polyester fabric
• Classic stripes in various shades of blue
• Room for 2 people; 450-lb. weight capacity
• 14-gauge steel stand with powder-coated finish
• Stand offered in several color options
• Hanging hardware is included
• Overall hammock length: 11 ft. 5 in.
• Stand: 13 – 15 ft. L x 4 ft. W x 3 ft. 9 in. H
• Retail Value $179.98

Get signed up for the Twitter Party and tell your friends. Please help us make our first Twitter Party a blast!

I started writing for Hayneedle over 5 years ago, well before we changed our name from “NetShops” and launched the Hayneedle brand. In fact, we weren’t even yet NetShops during my first months on the job. We were just a modest but ambitious handful of outdoor specialty stores, like PorchSwings.com, PatioUmbrellas.com, and Hammocks.com.

Hammocks.com on my first day… like the perm I had in college- pretty bad even at the time:

Hammocks.com today… more of an oh-so-pretty Justin Bieber flop:

When I see what Hayneedle has become, and the attention we’ve received over the past few months, I allow myself to indulge in a few morsels of pride. Here’s what I’m talking about:

• Kathy Lee Gifford has partnered with us to raise funds for Childhelp, a leading national non-profit dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse. When you buy a hammock from Hayneedle, a portion of your purchase goes directly to Childhelp. And the timing is nothing short of perfect- is there anything that says summer (or Happy Father’s Day) better than a hammock? That it’s for a good cause makes it even easier to relax.

• You may have seen Eduardo Xol’s outdoor design posts here on HayneedleBlog. As part of our summer campaign, Eduardo is taking timeout from ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to help Hayneedle customers create their own backyard paradise. The Backyard at Hayneedle is the place to start.

• Hayneedle was recently featured on The Ellen Show in what turned out to be a, well, let’s just say “memorable” version of Blindfolded Musical Haystacks.

• More and more people are doing the Hayneedle Hustle for their chance to win a $15,000 shopping spree. Radio and TV stations across the country are talking about how Hayneedle is bringing variety to America, one backyard at a time.

Heady stuff aside, one of the most satisfying aspects of all of all this is when I get to answer those unavoidable so-what-do-you-do questions at gatherings this summer. Instead of the “What’s that?” response I heard for 4+ years, it feels pretty good to finally hear, “Oh, yeah! Love your stuff.”

Excuse me while I grab one more taste of pride before going back to work. Gotta look good for next year’s pictures.

Despite the disorienting weather patterns of late, some folks in the know are insisting that spring is finally here.  After the winter we’ve had, could you blame anyone for falling for such a huckster’s promise?

But here’s the thing: the calendars around our office are suggesting that the rumors are true.

A little Internetting adds final proof: spring is scheduled to spring on March 20, 2010, at precisely 1:32 P.M. EDT (though perhaps in many places without its usual torque). That’s tomorrow, folks!

With no fear of stating the obvious, we love spring. Colors come forth, and the world resumes its beckoning inhabitability. There’s no better time to emerge from our four-walled winter fortresses and spend a little time in the room with the highest ceilings.

Yep, we’re talking about your deck or patio. Remember that little slice of outdoor paradise?

It’s time to take it back.

With specialty stores like PatioFurnitureUSA.com, Hammocks.com, PatioUmbrellas.com, and dozens of other outdoor living specialty sites, Hayneedle is the world’s premier seller of patio furniture and outdoor decor products.

Everything you need to furnish your ultimate room with a view is at Hayneedle.com. Come see what we have in store, and get ready to get out more. Spring is in the air!

Similar to the movie Dead Poet’s Society, which upheld the same theme, our Seize the Day Sale has been a hit. We started at 20% off for one day, then each day the percent goes down a point, so it behooves you to be – and shop – in the NOW. Our top sites are participating, and it’s been a lot of fun.

You can save on your order from hammocks.com, patiofurnitureusa.com, porchswings.com, benches.com, Adirondackchairs.com, esoccergoals.com, croquet.com, patioheaterstore.com, and more. There aren’t many days left for the Seize the Day Sale, so get all Eckhart Tolle and use the power of now, yo. After all, yesterday’s history, tomorrow’s a mystery, you’ve only got today. So carpe diem, and you’ll carpe dime! Ok, ok, enough. You get it. Go on with your present self.