Ah, another long holiday weekend come and gone. It seems like just when I am settling in to the slow pace and enjoying the relaxation, Monday strikes again. Bummer.
At least we had a nice 4-day weekend, since my husband had both Thursday and Friday off. We celebrated the 4th, started packing for our move to Colorado, ran a bunch of errands, dedicated our little man at church, and spent time with friends and family. It was pretty perfect, come to think of it.
I must admit, I’m getting excited for the 4th of July. Every year we go to a friend’s house and relax while the kids play in the water, eat popsicles, and have fun. We always have a huge spread of food – including a yummy BBQ – followed by a backyard fireworks show for the kids { see last year }.
The entire day evokes the unmistakable feeling of summer; from the smell of sunscreen and charcoal to the sound of the children laughing to the soul-feeding time with friends.
How was your 4th of July? We had a lot of fun celebrating at our friend’s house; we ate, lit fireworks, watched the kids play on the Slip & Slide, relaxed, ate some more…
Before we went, I made sure to brush up on how to photograph fireworks so I could get some awesome shot. I found this great tutorial from www.merakoh.com that explains what settings to use for fireworks and sparklers. For these photos, I had my camera on manual mode, set to 200 iso, 4 second shutter speed, and F11 aperture:
The 4th will be here next week, and I’m just getting around to doing some decorating (blame the new baby). I started searching the web for ideas and got really inspired by this nautical themed display from Andersruff.com:
4th of July will be here in just a couple of days, and if you’re finding yourself in a pinch in terms of décor and ideas, there’s still time! Check out the goodies featured in my first roundup of July 4th ideas (which included some great pinwheels, decorations, food & fashion ideas), and then see some of the fun below. A weekend is plenty of time to prepare for a big 4th of July bash!
Here comes the 4th! I love the 4th of July; it’s usually full of good food, good friends, and good fireworks. Plus (and call me sentimental, if you will), I love the unity that patriotism brings, and knowing that people all over the country are celebrating for the same reason.
Anywhoo, if you’re throwing a 4th of July party or are just looking for ways to amp up the patriotism in your household, here’s a round-up of some great decorations, printables, and ideas!
