Happy Independence Day!

(My Aunt Lin's favorite holiday--the weather is nice, you cook outside, no gifts to buy and you throw away your dishes! LOL! I must say that I have to agree with most of that!)

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We will be celebrating today with our big family picnic. All the family that you don't get to see nearly often enough. Enough food to feed a small army. Little cousins playing, riding bikes around the block and swimming. A little crafty activity in the afternoon. Guys throwing horse shoes, everybody playing volleyball. Catching up on what is going on with each other, visiting, laughing and of course eating! We cap the day off with some fireworks after dark.

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I am going to take a couple of all American classics to the picnic. Knorr Spinach Dip and Rice Krispie treats with red, white and blue star sprinkles. I usually like to try something new for the picnic, but nothing new really caught my eye this summer. These two are tried and true hits with the family. I like to put double the water chestnuts in the spinach dip because I like the crunch.

This is one of the pages I made for my CMC's crop last Friday. We were celebrating the decades with goodies from the 40's and 60's. All papers and stickers are CM. The Quote stamp is the SM Star Spangled Banner(M4459) and is from Stampington & Company and it says copyright 1996, so I am not sure that it is still available. It is one of my favorite stamps. All of those delicate little star frames were cut using the Cuttlebug nested star die. I was so pleased with how this page turned out and the ladies at the crop just loved it too. It was so cool to hear them talk about the photos they were planning to use on the page... husbands in their uniforms, old army pictures of Dads from years ago, July 4th pictures that haven't even been taken yet.

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My hope for you, my friends, is that today while you are celebrating the 4th of July, you take a moment to appreciate what this day means to our nations history. It was the day we declared our freedom from the rule of another nation. We stood united and free. It is my hope that we do not take that freedom for granted. That freedom was hard fought and earned so very long ago and I think that we care less and less for it everyday. I challenge you and me to be thankful for our freedom and this great nation. Vote, thank a soldier, write your senator or representative about something important to you, be involved in local government. Pass the stories on to the next generation. FLY YOUR AMERICAN FLAG PROUDLY!

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Thanks for letting me up on my soapbox once again, these important days just bring it out of me.

Some links for your FOURTH OF JULY enjoyment

Declaration of Independence

Independence Day on the Net

Fourth of July Celebrations Database

Have a wonderful Independence Day!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!