I pledge allegiance to the flag

235 years ago today, we declared our independence from Great Britain and have been fighting ever since then to keep it that way.  Aren't you glad we live in a FREE country?  We sure are and we have been celebrating our independence all weekend long!

I saw this cute flag idea on a blog this week...I wish I could remember which one!

I knew I had to try it out and I'm so glad we did.

Caleb truly thought it was the best craft ever!

He loved the fact that he was painting with his feet and hands.

In this household if you're 5 and under, pants are optional ;-)

Thumbs up!

We wish you all a happy and safe July 4th filled with fireworks and sparklers!!!

Oh! I Love America

Have you joined Pinterest yet?

Oh my wow...it's addictive.

I picked out some of my favorite 4th of July things...here's a little screen shot of my "I Love America" board:

This morning, Caleb and I made an "I Love America" wreath...finally!

We got creative and used things we already had at the house...fabric, felt, ribbon and straight pins.

I can even take the flag off and use it for the rest of summer...although there's nothing wrong with being patriotic all year round, so I may just proudly leave that flag right where it is.

What are your July 4th plans?

We are having a cookout with friends that we haven't seen in a long time.  We get to meet their sweet baby for the first time.  Then we are going to find us some fireworks to watch!  I plan on eating lots of grilled foods and American flag cookie cake :-)

Patriotic Pops

These red, white and blue popsicles are so yummy!  

I will have to be honest and say that getting the tri-color popsicle wasn't the easiest thing I have ever done, but well worth it because Caleb loves them and they are made with real fruit!

Here's how-to make them:

Get some popsicle molds...I tried two different kinds that I found at Walmart for under $3.  Unfortunately, the first set of popsicles were eaten faster than I could take a picture of them so I just have pictures of the cool, rocket shaped ones...which I find to be the perfect mold for Patriotic Pops!

For the white:

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbl sugar or splenda

Mix in  blender or food processor

Red:

Strawberries, about 6

Splash of milk (enough to allow the strawberries to blend well)

1 tbl sugar

5 drops of red food coloring (optional)

Mix in blender or food processor

I also think watermelon would be a great strawberry substitute!

Blue:

1/2 C Blueberries

4 tbl juice (I used apple and prune mixed, any kind would work though!)

1 tbl sugar

4-5 drops of blue food coloring (optional)

Mix in blender or food processor

If you end up making too much for your molds, you can always store them in your freezer until you are ready to make another batch!

You will need to pour each color in separately and let freeze completely.  When it was time to take my popsicles out, I ran water on the outside of the molds to help it come out easier.

They are so yummy and I didn't even feel bad about letting Caleb have one for breakfast this morning.

He started saying, "bicycle, pwease???" 

Translation: bicycle=popsicle

My favorite is the coconut so I also made myself some Coconut Ice Cream Bars with the same recipe I used for the Patriotic Pops...luckily Seth isn't a fan of coconut so they were all MINE!!!

Muah hahahaha!!!

These are perfect for a July 4th cookout, a hot summer's day or apparently breakfast too! :)

ENJOY!

Patriotic Candy Flags

I LOVE July 4th! It is quite possibly my favorite holiday for many reasons.  I have always been a self proclaimed lover of all things patriotic...no wonder I married a military man!  Even my favorite song is the National Anthem (Star Spangled Banner)

Here are some cute candy American "flags" that would be perfect for a little July 4th treat.  

All you need are some blue candies (I used m&m's from Fresh Market but you can find solid colored candies at just about any craft store) and some peppermint sticks.  The rest is pretty self explanatory :)

Aren't these fun...and yummy!?

I saw a similar craft in Martha Stewart Living but I changed mine up a little because I had never heard of the candies she used!

My mind is filled with all kinds of other July 4th crafts...do you have any to share?

On a side note, my sister in law is having a $25 Visa gift card giveaway! Head on over to enter!