PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! HAPPY 4TH TO ALL!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY AND HAPPY 4TH TO YOU ALL!!

I just wanted to wish you all a wonderful and eventful fourth of July, filled with celebration, appreciation, and GOOD FOOD!!!

We're so excited here because it's my husband's 50th birthday today and our country's independence from foreign rule to become it's own wonderful country. Boy, we fought so hard and so long to get here, but WE MADE IT didn't we? Aren't we grateful for what so many gave up to make us free? I'm happy to be living in the country we live in. I count it a privilege, and I thank God for it and what goes along with being American.

Robin at Pensieve gave us something to talk about and share today, and I thought I'd participate. She asks:

How do you celebrate the Fourth of July? What are your long-standing or newly-inaugurated traditions? Favorite recipes, special events, or memories? What's the most bizarre patriotic display you've ever seen?

Well, first I'll get the recipe out of the way. Our family loves this, and it's easy to take along to 4th of July picnics. This is easy. You know how you normally make deviled eggs right? Well, consider adding deviled ham and finely chopped black olives to your egg yolk mix before spooning the mix into the egg white shells. Sprinkle a little seasoned salt and just a dab of red pepper (if you don't like these seasonings, don't add them--it's still good without them, just even better with them) to the mix and then spoon into the shells. Let me tell you, your guests, if they like regular deviled eggs, will love this. Like the BAM BAM man, you would have kicked these babies up a notch!! Sprinkle the tops of the finished eggs with paprika for color and a mild bite of flavor upon eating them.

Because I was just married a couple of years ago, we don't have a regular tradition for the 4th established yet, but we're working on blending what the kids and I used to do (because we did have our own tradition) with things my husband and his daughter want to do. This year though, we're going with neither. His brother and sister-in-law invited us to her relatives' home for a picnic, water toy play, and fireworks. Even my husband has never done this with his brother before, so that's what we're doing this year. We're taking along those famous deviled eggs mentioned above, steak that some friends gave us, to put on the grill, hot dogs, a big birthday cake for my husband, and juice pouches for the kids. All of the families involved are bringing something. It should be a good day. I pray so. No, literally, I prayed about this day this morning, before I got out of bed.

We also don't forget to tell the children why we celebrate the 4th. We realize that most people we know feel like it's just another holiday, a reason for people to be off from work, a rest during the long weekend, a reason to eat too much, and watch beautiful firework displays. Well, those things (most of them) are good, but like we should at all holidays, discuss the reason they exist, give meaning to them, be grateful for them, celebrate them, thank God for them.

HAPPY 4TH TO YOU!!!