Celebrations on the 4th of July hold such a special place in my heart.

Growing up, I remember the most outrageous get togethers involving most of our town … uh, it was a small town. You see, my grandfather celebrated his birthday this weekend and well, he was one incredible fellow. He had a way of making folks feel like they belonged and like they were a part of something much larger than themselves. Folks just sort of gravitated to him and his birthdays seemed to get bigger and better every year. I remember impromptu rodeos, 4 wheeler races, outdoor concerts, shrimp boils, fish frys, heck – even an occasional catfish wrestle Yep, we sure knew how to celebrate in the South.

Tons of folks remembering the things that mattered ~ Family, Friends, Good Food & Good Times – and all of it somehow centered around our farm and my grandfather. Man, how I loved that man. Remind me to tell you more about him, he could be a blog all on his own.

Anyway, since I haven’t been home for one of these celebrations in over a decade and well, I love to throw a good party … I thought I’d celebrate with you guys instead. If I could, I would gather us all together for a no-fuss, late afternoon backyard get together

{Image via Martha Living by way of the city sage}

We’d unwind over a few glasses of Teo’s punch (spiked if you’re willing)

Snack on some fresh salsa & tortilla chips

{Image via Houndstooth Gourmet}

Then fire things up with some Honey Chipotle BbQ Sammies

{I’d use rotisserie chicken, so I could spend more time conversing & less time cooking }

Then round things out with a fabulous tribute to America, Apple Blackberry Ginger Pie

And of course, what Southern gathering would be complete without Sweet Tea

We’ll make it summer refreshing by doing it granita style, how cool is THAT!

Recipes

Teo’s Punch via Cooking Light
Fresh Salsa – I’m partial to this one from The Pioneer Woman (YUM!!)
Honey Chipotle BBQ Sandwiches via Cooking Light
Apple Blackberry Pie with Ginger via the Kitchen
Frozen Sweet Tea via Cooking Light

There would be music playing, people laughing, kids playing, sparklers sparkling and all the other best parts of the 4th. Wouldn’t that be fun

And what kind of hostess would I be without giving you a little something to take home. This time its a playlist you can use to recreate your own perfect backyard BBQ. Preview it with the cutie pie IPOD Nano (some versions I was only able to find live on the IPOD do-hicky) or download the original songs from Amazon or ITunes and you’re good to go. Just doing my part to make this a summer you’ll always remember.

Happy Independence Day!!!

Say Hey (I Love You) by MichaelFranti
(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To by Weezer
Let Me Go by Cake
Animal by Neon Trees
Fireflies by Owl City
Check Yes Juliet by We The Kings
Time After Time by Quietdrive
Break Even by The Script
Sweetness by Jimmy Eat World
Change Your Mind by The Killers
When Did Your Heart Go Missing by Rooney
The Best of Me by The Starting Line

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I almost forgot to tell you I won a $100 gift card to Williams Sonoma courtesy of the fabulous Trainer Momma! It was quite the surprise and the perfect ending to my almost perfect Mother’s Day (all my kiddos were sick); I’ve never purchased anything from their stores or actually even set foot in one, (eight years overseas will do that to a person) but oh, have I dreamed that a day like this would come.

The trouble is … I am extremely frugal and when I have gift money like this I’m crazy selective. In fact, I will save my money indefinitely for fear I might not spend it on the greatest thing ever. (Really, I still have $100′s of dollars in gift cards from my graduation, wedding, past birthdays, etc) It’s time for me to put that insane habit behind me, so I thought I would enlist some of you guys on just how I should go about using this gift card (you never know there might just be something in to for you too).

So here’s a few things that caught my eye, now blast away … should I or shouldn’t I and if you were in my shoes what would you spend it on??

“Practical Me” says we need a pizza pan and maybe a mesh pan for grilling veggies, but “Indulgent Me” says wouldn’t it be awesome to own a really awesome ice cream machine?

Maybe, one just like this one …

Cuisinart Stainless-Steel Ice Cream Maker ~ $79.95 (ON SALE)

Strangely enough, I have found myself living out many of my dreams here lately … baking with my kids, wearing a cute apron while singing in the kitchen, making my own granola bars (did this today, thanks to Valerie at Frugal Family Fun) … well another one of my dreams has always been to make my own ice cream.

I’ve been thinking I would just buy a few of those cute colored balls and roll them around the house with the kids but this beauty is so tempting … I just don’t know. It got great reviews and makes 2 quarts in 30 minutes! I need some opinions and fast, since this sort of goes against my eating healthful rules for 2010. Not really since it uses mostly natural ingredients and Hey, if you’re going to eat ice cream it might as well be homemade right? No additives, no preservatives, just plain old fashioned creamy goodness. Yum, can you see me drooling right now? I sure hope not.

Before you decide, consider this – I found the same Cuisinart Stainless Steel Ice Cream Maker for just $68 on Amazon & FREE SHIPPING. Sure, it would be FREE if I use my gift card … but it’s $12 cheaper on Amazon (see, I told you I was frugal). Besides, I could make that gift card go a whole lot further if I just got the ice cream maker on Amazon (hear my wheels turning?)

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I can hardly believe an entire year has passed since I packed away my military uniforms and donned my full time mommy gear. A decision, my husband and I worked towards for three very long years before we could justifiably make me staying home full time with our children work for our family. Each and every one of those days leading up to that monumentus three year mark grew harder and harder for me to get up in the morning and force myself to go to work.

I know this is an issue each and every mother goes through when returning to the work place. I also know, each and every one of us has our own distinct set of circumstances, but I’m here to tell you if what you really want is to be with your children, the Mother Bear inside of you will find a way to make it work. Even if you are about to have your third child by the time you get there

All the saving we did, the sacrifices we made, the changes we’ve implemented. Each and every one of them …. was worth it. A million times over, a trillion times even.

Nothing could have prepared me for the rewarding, invigorating, awe-inspiring journey I was about to take and while I won’t claim to admit its all sunshine and roses, my memories are far more filled with special moments than dirty diapers or tantrums (today’s breakdown at the supermarket included).

I’d like to slowly let you in on my secrets, how we did it and why, in almost every aspect, we’re thriving now on a one income family and not sacrificing any of our wants for our children.

One of those, “If we can do it, Anyone can do it” type of feel good stories.

I hope you’ll find something in our story you can take with you and incorporate into your family’s way of life.

But for today, I thought I’d share a few of the reasons why I couldn’t imagine life any other way:

That Brotherly Bond

See what I mean?

The Three Musketeers

Afternoons of Puddle Jumpin’

And All-Together Family Outings

That’s what my dreams are made of

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