The weather on the 4th was gorgeous! While it was still hot + humid, it was less humid than normal, and for that I'm grateful. The slight decrease in humidity allowed our skies to be brighter blue and our blooming crape myrtle to take center stage in the sunlight. I loved it!In order for our day on the 4th to be as relaxing as it was, prep work had to happen on the 3rd. Cookies (cinnamon chocolate chip) needed to be made as they always taste better the second day and the jungle that's been growing in our yard since leaving on vacation needed to be tamed. Interestingly enough, Jordan was chomping at the bit to have her dad teach her how to mow. Needless to say, Lee didn't have to be asked twice! While Jordan was helping Lee, Natalie wanted to help me bake the cookies. Normally I have a hard time relinquishing control when it comes to baking but this time I just went with it and let Natalie do most of the work. Here they are hard at work...
For the 4th we just had a casual BBQ with a couple of our good friends, Colin + Sarah. You may remember them as being our "partners in crime" when it comes to dinner parties (here, here, and here), enjoying yummy meals out, and for great gifts. What you don't know is that they are in the process of moving to St. Louis. As a matter of fact, Sarah has been up there for a few months, which means that I've been deprived of her fun-loving self and no longer have my partner in crime for leisurely lunches and chick flicks! Needless to say, I was thrilled when I heard she'd be spending this holiday weekend in our neck of the woods. We decided less stress was the way to go so we just bbq'd burgers + hot dogs and enjoyed yummy pasta salad, bbq beans, corn on the cob, and freshly cut watermelon along with it. While I had originally wanted to offer both cookies and homemade ice cream for dessert, we had a slight challenge with our ice cream maker (that's what you get when you haven't used it in almost five years!), so it was all about the cookies and, thankfully, I didn't hear any complaints! Here's a quick look at some of the food sights from our 4th...
buns waiting to be devoured, ice cold drinks for the day,
plate of cinnamon chocolate chip cookies with one of my favorite summer purchases, Sarah's gift of St. Louis yummies...Fitz's root beer (so good!) and Maull's BBQ Sauce (yum!)
The day was filled with the girls teaching Colin how to play their new favorite, Mexican Train...
A little catching up around the grill (Lee + Sarah)...
An entertaining game of badminton...
Good friends catching up...
And lots of wine!...
I hope everyone had a nice + relaxing 4th!p.s. Sarah, this picture is just for you (click to enlarge)...
4 comments:
I love that you included links to the STL products. It was so fun! The 9 hour drive to and from Louisiana was sooo worth it. It was the perfect laid back holiday.
Looks like fun was had by all. Jordan even appears to be enjoying herself while mowing.
Rich and I went to Charleston, SC and enjoyed some lowcountry cooking.
-Chapel
What a fun day....It looks like you all had a great time; and even looks like the girls had fun with the cookie baking and lawn mowing. As always, I feel like I enjoyed the day right along with you. Thanks for the pics....MOM (I love the paper plates and napkins - and where did you get the cans of juice w sparkling water? - I couldn't see the brand name)
The brand name is Izze and you can find them at Target or probably any other grocery store. Starbucks also sells them individually in bottles. They come in an array of flavors but the ones I see most often are pomegrante, clementine, apple, and grapefruit (which tastes similar to Fresca).
I'm not a fan of sparkling water but I really like these. They taste more like soda but they're naturally sweet and contain no refined sugar, caffeine or anything artificial. All that being said, they're still packed with sugar but at least its "all natural." For more info check them out at www.izze.com. Not only do I love their taste but I'm smitten with their fun colored packaging.
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