God Bless the U.S!

Having a holiday in the middle of the week is nice in theory, but it totally screws you up. Can I get an amen? As a kid, it used to not bother me but now I totally see why my mom hates it! 

When Kim and Katy announced their link up for the 4th I was instantly excited. An excuse to craft, is my favorite kind of excuse to make!  This link up was a good excuse to get my food craft on, when I normally prefer fabric and hot glue crafts. I even wore a festive shirt, we are entering a whole new level of patriotism folks.

I spent the 4th with some friends, BBQing and climbing on rooftops to watch the fireworks. It was a fun day and I'm glad I got to contribute to the fun by making festive treats. Here was my original inspiration:

I couldn't choose my favorite so I went for all three. I'm not a huge fan of candy melts, but they were the best option for the project and I didn't have any complaints on the flavor.  They were all easy to make, minus the sprinkles ending up everywhere!

Here was some of the process:


The set up before it got destroyed in the candy melting mess

I loved mixing the sparkles. I originally thought I would keep them separate but I eventually just got messy and swirled them around with my hands. 

The crazy red and purple fingers that followed my baking extravaganza. My nails are stilly slightly tinted pink! 

Drying! The one thing that candy melts do better than regular chocolate is stick and dry. Usually when you dip something and lay it on wax paper, it loses its shape -- but the melted candy stuck right to the pretzel in this case!

Here's what I ended up with:

Patriotic Mallows: Some dipped in candy melts with sprinkles, some dipped in plain sprinkles (dip in water to make them stick). Loved them, so easy to make!

Patriotic pretzels. Also a big hit. 

The whole getup: 

I displayed the pretzels in a short glass so they didn't get completely stuck. 

I made the strawberries last minute...I prefer chocolate covered ones, but you can't deny the cuteness of red white and blue strawberries. 

At the BBQ: I tried to get Seth to take a nice picture with me...he wouldn't close his mouth!

Ok, that's better. 

Erin (our hostess) and her mom made this adorable jello. I wish I liked coconut, it made the jello hard to eat because I was trying hard to avoid the coconut part but I loved the concept! 

My friend David and I. Love his festive glasses. 

Silly boy. We started sending creepy pictures to some of my friends in Washington, apparently I wasn't informed about this one. I'd share with you one of our best, but you might not want to come back after that.

After the BBQ we went back to Seth's neighborhood where the fireworks are only a few blocks away. We all climbed up onto the roof and watched the show.  It was pretty neat watching it from a rooftop, I felt like I was a kid again being all dangerous! 

 I decided not to go outside for the late night VN brothers homemade fireworks show, the potential of getting arrested was just a wee bit high.  Instead I tried to go get pie with friends, which was a really bad idea...because when Seth lives in the town where the fireworks are and thousands of people try to escape at once out of the ONE entrance into the city...things get crazy. 

Anyways, it was a low key kinda holiday, just how I like it. Don't hate me but I kinda love holidays that I'm not obligated to be with family all day!

One last thing..

The 4th of July holds a special place in my history nerd little heart. And I hope it does for you too, Americans.

Besides all of the fun crafts, friends, and fireworks there is a MUCH greater meaning that comes with the Fourth of July. 

In the rush of celebrations, take time to consider the weighty decision that the members of the Second Continental Congress made 236 years ago, as they explained their motivation:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

They laid out the injustices forced upon them by the king of England and declared at the end that as free and independent states, they would have the power to wage war and seek peace, make alliance and establish commerce.

"With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor," those brave men concluded.

July 4 should not be a day dedicated to the right to enjoy explosives, but instead as a day when citizens remember the greatness that is possible by pledging to each other to work together to continue to create this great nation.

So thank a service member and thank the Lord for the wonderful country we live in and the freedom that we've been granted.


God Bless the U.S!

Oh and P.S

Wondering about this gem?

 Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you all about my latest craft obsession.