Hello Monday ~ 7/8/2024

 

Holly & Sarah

I didn't post a Friday Favorites to highlight the happenings of last week so I'm going to squeeze my Hello Monday and Friday Favorites together today.  Maybe I should call it Monday Favorites and leave it at that :)

I want to make mention that July 3rd was my Dad's 77th birthday!  Happy Birthday, Dad!  He wanted Chinese food for his birthday supper and I made him a Cream Puff Cake with sugar free pudding so that he could actually eat it!  I asked him how it felt to be 77 years old and he said he felt the same as the day before :)

On July 4th, our Independence Day here in the USA, we spent most of the day reorganizing the Family Room, our Bedroom and the new Storage Room that I mentioned we were building in last week's post!  We have the Bedroom pretty much situated and the Storage Room is almost at its max already.  We still have a few totes full of miscellaneous items sitting in the Family Room that we need to go through and purge to finish up.  Once we get done, I think it is going to be a really good transformation.

For our 4th of July Celebration, we went to my Aunt Donna's and Uncle Charlie's house around 7pm.  We were supposed to get there around 6-6:30ish but until we got finished working for the day and cleaned up (remember:  we had no AC) we were the last ones to get there.  Everyone was still eating the yummy picnic food so no harm done!  When it got closer to dark, Uncle Charlie and Brian, my cousin, started setting off the pre-firework fireworks :)  Brian's little girl, Audrey, who REALLY wanted to have fireworks ended up being completely afraid of the loud noises.  The hubby and I volunteered to take her inside to watch the fireworks out the window where she was much happier.  It was fun talking to a little one as she is only 2 years old.  When the fireworks were over, Audrey was sad and wanted more!  We had a fun and enjoyable celebration :)

Friday was orientation for my new part-time job.  It was a long day of watching videos, learning about the company and signing authorizations and policies.

A good thing happened though!  While I was at orientation, our AC unit came!  Whooot Whooot!  A whole week early and I am ever so thankful.  We actually had to turn the AC off last night because it was making the bedroom a little TOO chilly!  What a problem to have :) 

The hubby took Oliver to the vet Friday for his last set of kitten vaccinations.  He had grown so much in the past 3 weeks that the vet tech re-weighed him to make sure she had read the scale right.  He is definitely losing his baby kitten look.

My goal for this week, other than actually training for my new job, is to take more pictures!  I was doing really good for a while and then life started flying by.  I want to try to slow things down a bit.  I'm actually reading a book right now called "Living Slower" by Merissa A. Alink.  It has lots of good information and I'm getting ready to start reading about how organization and routines can help a person live slower which I REALLY need.

Well, I think that is enough rambling for now.  Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful week ahead :)

Colletta

Songs on Sundays ~ GOD Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood

Happy 4th of July!

GOD Bless the USA!!!!

Colletta

Wednesday Medley ~ 7/3/19

Come join Terri @ Your Friend From Florida every Wednesday.  She comes up with the questions and we answer them ;)

 

Everything below this line is from the line is from the National Calendar website.

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INDEPENDENCE DAY – July 4

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Each year on July 4th, the United States celebrates Independence Day. This federal holiday commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. 

For nearly 250 years, the country has been celebrating a day in history that inspires us still today. On July 4th, speeches and ceremonies are held across the nation. Across the country, people crowd cities for parades and festivals. Streets are decked out in red, white and blue bunting and flags.

While families and friends gather for some of the most mouthwatering food – large picnics and barbecues, local fairs provide a taste of culture and mom’s home cooking, too. With so many converging on their hometowns, family and school reunions take place.

Fire Works

Before the day is over, many communities hold spectacular fireworks displays re-enact moments of victory. Patriotic music accompanies the performance while spectators view the show from blankets strewn along capital lawns or from boats floating in bays. Whether out National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner” or “God Bless America,” many will sing along.  In some locations, music will be played by a live orchestra or band, while in other areas it’s pre-recorded. Some of the most popular on the playlist are “America the Beautiful,” “My Country, Tis of Thee,” “This Land Is Your Land,”  “Stars and Stripes Forever,”  “God Bless the U.S.A.,” “Yankee Doodle” and “Dixie.”

In some parts of the country, people will shoot their own fireworks. Children delight in the bright colors and sparklers. They roast marshmallows and make s’mores.

HOW TO OBSERVE INDEPENDENCE DAY

• At noon, a “Salute to the Union” is fired, each July 4th, by any capable military base.  This is a salute of one gun for each state in the United States. 
• In 2009, New York City hosted the largest fireworks display in the country. 
• Held since 1785, the Bristol Fourth of July Parade in Bristol, Rhode Island is the oldest continuous Independence Day celebration in the United States. 

Use #IndependenceDay, #July4th, #4thOfJuly, FourthOfJuly to share your celebrations on social media.

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Everything above this line is from the line is from the National Calendar website.

1.  Please share a favorite July 4th memory with us.

One July 4th memory was the first 4th that the Hubby and I were dating.  It was the first time that I didn't go to the fireworks with my family and instead went with him.  Another memory is when our oldest was first born and we watched the fireworks out the window because she was just a few weeks old :)

2.  How do you plan to spend tomorrow?  If you are working, will you celebrate later?

We will be having a picnic at my brother and SIL's and then we are going camping!  So excited to go camping!

 

3.  Is there a favorite food always reserved for your 4th of July celebration?

Just the normal picnic-y foods :)

4.  In Florida, you can buy all kinds of fireworks, including some that fly high and burst into pretty cascades.  Are fireworks legal in your state/community and does anyone you know put on a display for your neighborhood?

My cousin started a tradition last year of putting off fireworks.  He did a great job!

 

5.  Do you have a favorite movie that you always watch sometime during the 4th of July?

No, not really...

 

6.  Share something from your week, please.

Today is my Dad's 72nd birthday!  He was almost a firecracker baby :) 

Colletta

 

P.S.  I hope you can stop by my ETSY SHOP!

Saturday 9 ~ Back in the USA ~ 6/30/18

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

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Back in the USA (1978)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song lists seven cities -- New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Chattanooga, Baton Rouge and St. Louis -- that Linda just loves. How many have you visited?

I've only been to one on the list and that is New York City.  I've actually been there a few times and even got to ride the carriage in Central Park.


2) The lyrics refer to hamburgers sizzling on the grill. What toppings do you believe make a perfect burger?
Cheese and Ketchup!


3) The original recording of this song by Chuck Berry has always been one of Linda Ronstadt's favorites, one she used to enjoy singing along with in the car. What's the most recent song you sang? 
I always have songs going through my mind.  I guess the last one was Shut Up + Dance as I looked at last week's post :)

 4) Linda sang The National Anthem at Game 3 of the 1977 World Series. The New York Yankees won both that game and the series. How is your baseball team doing this season?
My team is the Pittsburgh Pirates and they are like 8 games behind right now :(


 Since this is our last Saturday 9 before Independence Day, let's ask some questions about the holiday. 
5) During the Revolutionary War, General Washington celebrated the 4th of July by giving his troops a double ration of rum. Will you imbibe any spirits on Independence Day?
I'm not a spirit imbiber...  So, nope.


6) The first man to sign the Declaration of Independence, John Hancock, said he wrote his name so large King George could see it, even without his glasses. Do you require glasses for reading? 
Not for reading, but I do require glasses or contacts for seeing at a distance.

 7) Since July 4 is a federal holiday, banks are closed and there's no mail delivery. Thanks to email and ATMs, Sam finds going without those services isn't a hardship. What about you? Will you find it inconvenient that banks and the USPS are closed on July 4?
No, not really.


8) The first 4th of July parade each year is held at 12:01 AM in Gatlinberg, TN. Will you attend a parade or fireworks to celebrate the 4th?
We'll be attending Fireworks over the Lake at Shawnee State Park this year.

9) More and more Americans celebrate our nation's holiday by eating foods from Italy and Germany. For the July 4, 2016 holiday, more than $50 million was spent on Italian sausage and bratwurst. What's on your 4th of July menu?
We haven't actually made specific plans yet, but usually the normal burgers and hotdogs are on the menu.  Maybe some grilled chicken breast marinated in Italian dressing.  Yumm....

 

Please leave a comment with a link so I can return the visit!

Colletta

 



High Five for Friday ~ 7/5/13

Five things that made me smile this week :)

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1.  Fireworks!

2.  Watching my kids get super excited about fireworks!

3.  I got my hair done :)

4.  I'm already done with all 5 of my Read-a-Thon goal books :)

5.  Smores ;)

What made you smile this week?

Freedom ~ 7/4/13

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17

Lord, how blessed we are to live in a country where we are free to worship as we please.  Help us to never take such freedom for granted.  Today we ask You to bless any believers who are being persecuted for living out their faith.  Draw especially near to them, Lord.  Surround them with Your mighty army of angels.

"Long may our land be bright with freedom's holy light; 
protect us by Thy might, Great God, our King!" 
--Samuel F. Smith

Excerpt from:  A Woman's Daily Prayer Book