~~~Time To Celebrate Our Freedom!!!~~~

HI and welcome!!!!!! I set this table last night while the light was fading then this morning took some more pictures. So, this post is picture LADEN! Hope you don't get bored:):) I cut some of my gorgeous hydrangeas for the centerpiece and placed a flag in there too. We used to have Monarda growing all over the place but it all died out, and that makes me sad, because it looks like red FIREWORKS!!!!!!!!!! It is a perfect flower for a 4th centerpiece. I also got these little buckets at Christmas Tree Shops and filled them with goodies!The table cloth is round but has no hole so we had to take the umbrella down for this table!

 Over the tablecloth I placed a red straw palcemat, a white charger, red dinner plate, blue solid salad plate, red star salad plate (paper) and the star appetizer plate. I love to STACK dishes. I learned this from Yvonne at Stonegable and I think it makes a table so much more interesting!!!!

 The "napkins" are dishtowels from Dollar Tree!

 This is new flatware this year from Marshalls (Home Goods). I just love it, all swirly and happy!

 The blue water goblets can hold iced tea or water....or beer!!!!!

 I found these cute flag S and P at TJMaxx several years ago.

 I scattered some candies around the table too.

 It was VERY humid last night so the vase is SWEATING....so was I!!!!!

 Even though this plate is paper, I think it is so cute and wanted to use it too!

 The star martini glasses will hold strawberries and blueberries over ice cream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I have 2 red stars and 2 blue stars. Forget where I got them, several years ago too.

 Here starts the pictures I took this morning. It is VERY sunny today, and HOT again but I am NOT complaining:):) I washed the tablecloth and it shrunk some so I put the solid blue cloth under it today. I had brought everything in last night because we were supposed to get some showers overnight. So, yes, I did this table TWICE for you all.

 I added this lantern too. I have 2 of them but only used one so as not to crowd the table too much.

 A red votive inside.

 Birds eye view.

I wish you could ALL join us for our 4th celebration. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and are able to celebrate our freedom with family and friends. I am joining Susan tonight at BNOTP for Tablescape Thursday: www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com  Please go over and see all the wonderful tables!!!!! Once again, thanks so much for stopping by!!!!!! XO, Pinky I am also joing Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday  http://www.savvysouthenstyle.blogspot.com/   http://isavortheweekend.blogspot.com/, also joining this wonderful Patriotic party!!!!! Go see some great inspiration!

~~~What the HECK????~~~~

We had some good rain here today but no wind so I don't know what made this big branch fall from a HUGE beech tree in our side yard???? We just discovered it. It hit an apple tree on the way down too. I think the apple tree will be OK, I hope! The beech is  pretty near the house so I guess we are going to have to have it checked, if  IT came down it would devastate the house!!!!!

 It is a large branch that splits into 2 branches, as you can see here.

 This is the beech that it fell from. The tree is about 80 feet tall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I just heard on the news where a tree came down at a campground in N.J. today and killed a man and injured his wife. Now I am getting nervous!!!!!!!!!!!!! Especially because my "office" is right where the tree would hit:(:(

 At least some of the apples are low enough now for us to reach.....before the SQUIRRELS get to them:):)

 It came this close to the house. This side of the house is where the 4 large rhododendrons came down this winter and we haven't replaced then yet. Trying to decide what we want.

 On a HAPPIER note: all my hydrangeas are blooming beautifully right now. I will be cutting some after dinner for my 4th of July tablescape. I wanted to do it today, outside, but the rain stopped me. Hopefully I can do it tonight or tomorrow morning.

 Such gorgeous color! This bush is the one that for 25 years has been SNOW WHITE!!!!!!!!!????? Have no idea why it turned BLUE this year!!??

Thanks so much for stopping by. I love to see your comments so please let me know you were here! I appreciate every single one of you! XO, Pinky

~~~The Deer, Eating Lunch today~~~

I just caught a QUICK picture of 4 deer in our neighbors yard, having their lunch! When I opened our sliding glass door to take the picture they started to GO, so that is why you don't see all 4  of them. Just wanted to share a little slice of our wild life. Hope you are having a great Monday. XO, Pinky

Click on the picture to enlarge.

~~~ Part One, Our OBX Vacation!!!~~~

Hi everyone! We are BACK! We just spent a week at OBX, (the Outer Banks of N.C.). We had a wonderful vacation! We go with our best friends and their entire family, there were 23 of us!!!! It is a GREAT time and I will share pictures probably all this week! So please come back!!!! We organize this trip this way: each day one family is "Captain of the day" and you are responsible for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner for the ONE day!!!! It is fabulous! For our day we decided to do a tribute to Joe's Dad who passed away this past March. So, here is a little sampling of our day. Unfortunately, I never got pictures of our FOOD, since we were so busy cooking and serving BUT, it was VERY well received by all!!!! You will see on the board what all we did. Hope you enjoy this little recap of the day. Click on any picture to enlarge!!!

 Here is the menu board and I got shots of each section for you.

 Making crepes for 24 people is no easy task, let me tell you. My wonderful hubby was the chef for these and I kept them going into the oven to keep warm. We served them with 4-5 different jellies and powdered sugar, then you roll them up and cut in half. The kids loved that!

 Lunch was yummy too. This year was a pretty easy year, cooking!

 "Slimey" is a nickname of one of the Mom's from when she was a child. Fortunately, it didn't stick:):):) She is a gorgeous, wonderful Mom now!!!!

 This is Joe's Dad and my WONDERFUL Father-in-law. We miss him alot. He was a pilot first in the Army Air Corp, played semi pro baseball and football, then joined an airline to pilot for many years. He retired a Captain and flew 747's.

 The plane in this picture is the P38 Lightening that he flew in the war.

 LOVE this one!

 This is how I will always remember him. What a GREAT Father!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Always FUN!

 This was the day of his last flight. We all went to NYC to meet his plane. It was a FREEZING cold day (40 below with the wind chill). But we got him to pose IN the engine!!!!!!!!!! How cool is that!!!????

He was a great artist too! He made the Hi sign and the bells from styrofoam!

 A family picture of he and Mom, my Joe on the left, his brother and sister.

 Loved to be the life of the PARTY!!!!!

 He LOVED Mom. This is such a great picture!!!!!!

I hope you have enjoyed this. I will post alot more pictures to come:) I am going to join in with Yvonne at Stone Gable for her NEW weekly party called What's on the Menu!!!!! Please go visit her, it will be up at 9PM tonight. http://www.stonegable.blogspot.com/  It should be a GREAT party!!!!!!! XO, Pinky