July 4th!

My week began as usual with flowers! These were some of the "red, white, and blue" bouquets. 

I took the rest of the week "off" of my art business work and focused on house projects and more time for resting. I was so excited to finally finish of my back closet which has been a several-month long project. It's all rearranged, sorted, and reorganized! (In case you are wondering, that is fabric, not my clothing!)

I took one morning to paint my hollyhocks with oils -- oils are new to me and there's a big learning curve! Laura decided she wanted to join me with acrylics.

Michael's dad has been gone for more than two years now but we wanted to celebrate his life on his birthday. We had Michaels' mom over for a special dinner: the kind of meal one would get at a steak house, complete with iceberg wedges with bacon and blue cheese. Yum!

Michael's siblings all called in on zoom and we sang. One of Michael's brothers had even driven up to Dad's gravesite which was extra special for everyone to be able to see what it is looking like right now.

All this 90+ degree weather isn't putting us off the outside socializing! Where there's a will there's a way! Laura and her friend followed a painting tutorial all by themselves!

I made it back to the art museum gardens with a friend (in the heat! iced drinks in tow). I guess the cheery rudbeckia and the creeping jenny below them were my favorite finds of the day.

On July 4th we had cousin Olivia and my sister, Emily, over to enjoy some time in our local creek and then lunch under the front tree. It proceeded to rain and the kids loved it.

 In the evening our two moms came over for a back patio barbecue. I made some delicious salads and grilled hamburgers and hotdogs.

We all sat around and enjoyed chatting.

And we even made s'mores for dessert!

One special part of my week was sorting photos from my January England trip. It brought a lot joy and good memories for which I was thankful.

And now we are into another HOT week!

Happy Days

Christina's in-laws kindly invited us all to join them for the 4th of July in "small town" America. We had a lovely day!

The day began with the parade, which conveniently comes right by the Walls' home!

Each entry is always interesting to observe.

Horses are a must for a parade.

I rode my bike in a parade when I was 4. I still think about what fun it was! 

Lately I've been thinking about how much I miss the get-togethers of my childhood. I rarely see my aunts, uncles or cousins anymore and I grieve over that.

But right now is the time my children are making the memories with their aunts and uncles and cousins that will last them a lifetime.

This clown rides in the parade every year!

Mommy and Daddy and baby.

The Walls' church had a float in the parade.

This town is famous for having a "tractor parade." This entry must really show the economic downturn -- smallest "tractor" ever!

I thought Laura would be more animated at the parade but she wanted to sit on Michael's lap and just take it all in.

Michael pointed out that many of the tractor drivers had "their girl" with them, just like the motorcycle men do!

And there were plenty of farm wives driving too!

Of course, for the kids, the parade is all about the candy!!!

After the parade there was ice coffee, lemonade and donuts to enjoy before lunch.

The homemade gluten free donuts were wonderful! You can find the recipe here on the Mennonite Girls can Cook. 

Water play was a must in the 102F weather! (And just so you know, it is predicted to go to 108 today with the heat index higher!)

Our cookout lunch was delicious with a watermelon basket our neighbors made for us!

Surprisingly, we managed to spend most of the day outdoors!

The kids occupied themselves quite well.

Now that mom has "retired", she is around for holidays! yay for being with mom and my two sisters!

Craig and Em joined us and spent a lot of time entertaining the kids.

They brought a gluten free cookie pizza!

And we had two amazing gluten free pies -- blueberry and strawberry/rhubarb

Dolly needed to have tea too!

She and John had a wonderful day together except for one minor moment. Here they are playing on the piano.

A lovely day of family memories!

Next week is VBS at my mom's church and visits with friends and family. Summer is proving to be a time of lots of "people time". And the 4h fair is really only days away -- must get those projects done!

I hope you all have a good weekend!

A Glorious Fourth

We had a lot of fun on July 4th this year!! We began the day by taking Grandpa to the local parade and meeting our friends from 4tunate there, just like last year!

Laura loved the parade and no one minded the rain too much.

Waving flags is so much fun when you are just one.

Here's a picture of us all when the rain cleared up:

After the parade, and lunch at McDonald's, we went home to get ready for our backyard party. We invited a bunch of friends and neighbors and we all sat in the backyard for the evening. It was so much fun! Here's Laura having a good time in the pool.

And here are Calvin and Owen enjoying their dinner:

John is figuring out what to do next:

Facepainting for the kids:

Sparklers were enjoyed when it "started" to get dark:

I tried red, white and blue strawberries:

And festive, chocolate-dipped pretzels:

My mom picked flowers for all the tables:

There were veggies and salsa (including blueberry salsa) to start:

And hotdog rockets for the kids!

Everyone brought a dish so we had plenty of delicious food!

We even had a very sweet, brand-new baby in attendance!!!!

I sewed bunting to make the patio look festive.

We were grateful for pleasant weather!

It was a great day with lots of good memories!!!!