Friday Fives: 4th of July

Because I had so much fun last week with Friday Fives at Just Me and My Life, I decided to play along this week. And, really, what better topic than...

I love this holiday. Here's why...

I've celebrated Independence Day in several ways. Growing up, we celebrated the day at my grandparent's lake house. There were tons of people: family, friends, and neighbors who were in for the weekend. Of course, we had wonderful food, homemade ice cream (peach was my favorite!) and fireworks (more on those later). When I started high school, I seemed to have camp every year over the 4th. Sure, we'd celebrate with hamburgers and sparklers, but it just wasn't the same. And then in college, I was always in Romania for the summer, which meant celebrating there.

Every year, it was a little different, but one of my favorites was the time we had two British girls on our team, Emma and Rosie. After our meal of hamburgers, we had a trivia session where we proudly announced the significance of the day (because they REALLY DIDN'T KNOW). By the end of the game, these girls knew WE WERE NO LONGER PART OF THE MOTHERLAND. And really, they could have cared less. Actually, they were probably glad because we were so obnoxious that night. Ha!

My last summer in Romania, we ate at McDonald's on the 4th of July. What's more American than that? The kicker, though, was the dessert. They have the same fried apple pies that we have in the States. (Although, I've NEVER eaten one here.) That summer, they had heaven in a bowl. The pies were placed in a bowl, and then topped with soft-serve ice cream and caramel. OH. MY. GOODNESS. They were so good.

The past couple of years, we've celebrated in my in-laws backyard. We enjoy burgers off the grill and yummy desserts. Husby brings his bows and arrows with the massive target, all of which are stored in our house. Last year, I have vivid memories of hiding behind solid objects when certain people took turns at shooting those things.

Patriotic music has a very special place in my heart. After learning and performing "This Land is Your Land" in Mrs. Lindamood's 5th grade music class, hearing patriotic music just makes me smile. One of my most favorite things is the church service the weekend before Independence Day, where they play the medley of songs from all branches of the Armed Forces, and each member stands when the appropriate song is played. I get goosebumps every year!

I just love fireworks! It's pretty much a requirement to see them. The least fun 4th of July celebration are those without fireworks. I love to say, "Oh, those are my favorites. Never mind, those are my favorites," for the entire fireworks show.

Typically, I'm not your girl who dresses for the holiday. I don't wear Christmas sweaters or have Halloween socks. BUT I usually color-coordinate for this special holiday. This year, I plan to wear my denim skirt with a [still to be bought] red shirt. Last year, I wore a navy blue dress with a rope belt, but the wedge heels were a little more than uncomfortable on the 1/2 mile we had to walk to the fireworks show. This year, I'll be a tad more practical. I think.

If you haven't noticed, I do like the food on the 4th. I so enjoy grilling out. Since we don't have a grill at our house, this is like a freebie grill-out session. Hamburgers and brats are on the menu. I'll contribute the apple pie. (What's more American than that?!) Although it'll be for dinner, I think I might start a new tradition and have apple pie for 4th of July breakfast.

What about you, what are your favorites for the 4th? Play along!

O, Christmas Tree

Our Christmas tree went up the Friday before Thanksgiving. That's right, folks. I love everything about Christmas trees. (Well, fake Christmas trees. I'm sure I'd love the smell of a real tree, but they put me in an allergy-induced haze. It's really not that great for me.)

This year, we have a brand new tree. As a single lady, I used a tree formerly owned by my parents. I loved that little tree. Other than the two branches that somehow went missing and required some hefty maneuvering to make the tree look full all the way around. So, our new tree has some pretty cool features, including:

1. It's flocked. I never thought I wanted a flocked tree. Until now. I think they're so much prettier. At least with the ornaments we have.

2. It has clear AND colored lights, which means it's perfect for a house divided over the color of lights. I like clear; Husby likes colored. Conflict avoided.

3. It has a remote control. This feature in itself allowed me to purchase the tree without Husby seeing it. I knew that this one feature would cover anything he didn't like about the tree. Conflict avoided, again. (I'm so good at that!)

My love for our Christmas tree could be fueled by an obsession with Christmas ornaments. I think I've always loved ornaments. At least as far back as I can remember. I was delighted to receive this ornament from one of my students. It came a couple of weeks after I returned to work from our honeymoon; she had to find the perfect ornament, she said. I think she did well.

Jeremy and I both love this verse from Joshua 24: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." And I just couldn't pass up this ornament; it's complete with a great verse, polka dots and a cute ribbon!

On our honeymoon, we decided that we'd collect Christmas ornaments each time we visit somewhere new for the first time. It's a souvenier that can be appreciated over and over again! Here is one of our ornaments from San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge.

If this ornament looks vintatge, that's because it is! I inherited two awesome boxes of ornaments from my great-grandmother. They're all hanging proudly on our tree, but I think this is my fave!

One year in college, I decided to make ornaments for myself. I made a set of five out of felt, but I think I like this one the best.

I love our tree and hope that memories are proudly displayed on it every year.

Now, let's talk Thanksgiving

A blog that I really enjoy is Kelly's Korner. Every Friday, she has a "Show Us Your Life Feature." Up until now, I haven't participated; I've just found some great ideas for recipes and decorating. Since I'm in a holiday spirit today, I thought I'd participate in this one: Thanksgiving Recipes and Traditions.

Thanksgiving for my family is a little different than the typical family. My mom and her best friend, Bonnie, have owned a restaurant, The Cherry Laurel, for almost 20 years. (Wow, that makes me feel old.) Our families are super close, and you rarely hear of the Ingram's going anywhere without the Wilson's, and vice verse. We do all of our holiday's together. And it's so much fun.

For our families, Thanksgiving means cooking. Cooking for dozens and dozens of people. The day before, Bonnie's daughters, Ashley and Allison, and I join our mom's and their employees for hours of cooking. It's exhausting. Last year, I made 16 pie crusts. And it was my first time to ever make pie crust. I usually make the apple pies and a good portion of the casseroles.

Although I love everything on the table at Thanksgiving (well, everything BUT the turkey), I don't know that it'd be Thanksgiving with Strawberry Pretzel Salad.

I know what you're thinking. Why would you ever put salad on your Thanksgiving plate?! Well, let me tell you, it's not salad. For those of you who grew up with grandmother's who had to have a salad with a meal, you know that salad usually means something sweet-ish with Cool Whip, Jell-o pudding powder and marshmallows. And this is a kicked-up version of that salad. Kicked-up because it's salty and sweet, which I L.O.V.E. And even though it's sweet, you still eat it with the meal, not dessert. But since it is sweet you can eat it with the meal AND dessert. It's so good that you'll want it twice. Guaranteed.

Just a disclaimer: this recipe has been published in every church cookbook since 1943. Or sometime around there. I wish I could say that you're getting a Cherry Laurel secret, but you're not. The secret is that we use church cookbooks every now and then. And they rarely disappoint. Those church ladies know how to cook! Especially if it involves Cool Whip in salads.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
2 C crushed pretzel sticks
3/4 C melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
1 C sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 6-oz. pkg strawberry Jello
2 C boiling water
2 10-oz. pkgs frozen strawberries, partially thawed

Mix first three ingredients and press into the bottom of a 9"x13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees, 8 minutes. Let cool completely. Beat sugar and cream cheese. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over pretzels. Mix Jello in water until dissolved. Add strawberries. Stir Jello and strawberry mixture and set aside for 10 minutes. Pour over cream cheese. Chill until Jello is completely set.

Red, White & Blue

Okay, when people ask my favorite holiday, I always reply Thanksgiving. Because it is. But a really, really close second is Fourth of July. I love it! Just like Thanksgiving, I love why it's celebrated and how it's celebrated. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Jesus and Christmas, but it's so fast-paced and the selfishness, including my own, overwhelms me.

Growing up, the Fourth was a big deal. We always spent the day at my grandparents lake house with homemade ice cream and fireworks. Oh, I'm sure there were other things to eat, but who cares when swimming, homemade ice cream with Magic Shell, and fireworks happen on the same day?! During high school, I think I was at camp every year for the Fourth. I remember several attempts by camp staff to make it as patriotic as possible. Every summer during college, I was in Romania for the Fourth of July, and we made some great memories for our holiday. Our Romanian friends really didn't care to join in our festivities. They thought the Fourth of July was some day between the third and fifth of July. They just don't know what they missed. One summer, we happened to have to British girls on our team. We had a game of trivia where they learned all about our freedom from the Mother Country. We were shocked to know that all of Britain doesn't mourn the loss of the States on that day! Other summers were celebrated with sparklers and trips to McDonald's, where we could feast on hamburgers and fried apple pies with soft-serve ice cream and caramel on top.

Now that I've had several summers of celebration at home, I get so excited! About a week before, I gear up and think of a perfect day and an outfit. Normally, I don't think matching the outfit with the holiday is appropriate, but I do make an exception for this celebration. I also L.O.V.E. patriotic music! Oh. my. word. I have a physical reaction to it! My absolute fave is the medley played in patriotic services where each branch of the Armed Forces is recognized.

This year, we're doing it all: swimming, hanging out with family, hamburgers, homemade ice cream, and fireworks, and I'm bringing music. And guacamole. And I think Rice Krispies treats. I get excited just thinking about it. What are you most excited about for Fourth of July?

Pi(e) Day

I love traditions. I love holidays and the traditions they allow, but I also love creating traditions that will someday be special to my family. Growing up, we were banned from all sugar cereal, except for our birthday, when we were able to choose whichever sugar cereal we wanted. As the oldest child and a natural people-pleaser, I usually chose my mom's favorite, Cocoa Krispies. I'm sure it was because my taste was very limited; I just trusted that Cocoa Krispies was the best choice. Once I left for college and experienced the "wall of cereal" in the cafeteria, I discovered that my favorite is Cap'n Krunch. Yes, Cap'n Crunch. The cereal that mutilates the top of the mouth until a Crunch Callous is formed.

I know that birthday cereal will be a tradition that continues for my kiddos, but there are others in the works. Yesterday was Pi Day. That's right, March 14 translates to 3.14. So, Jeremy & I celebrated Pi(e) Day, along with our 15 month anniversary. Together, we ran errands, including a stop for groceries. On the list: ingredients for homemade chicken pot pie and coconut cream pie.

Once home, we started cooking. First up was the Best Ever Coconut Cream Pie. The only modification to this recipe was the crust. Both Jeremy & I preferred a graham cracker crust on this pie. Since it had to chill for two hours, we wanted it ready to eat when we were done with our meal. (We both love dessert!) Can I tell you, it was amazing coconut cream pie?

Best Ever Coconut Cream Pie

Next on the agenda was the amazing Chicken Pot Pie. Now, there are quite a few steps to this masterpiece, and it usually takes me a little longer to cook a new recipe. Thankfully, Jeremy enjoys cooking, and we really like being in the kitchen together, so division of labor helped on this one. We made a few modifications: added sauteed mushrooms, fresh rosemary, and fresh thyme; we also used store-bought pie crust. After an hour of chopping, seasoning, and cooking, and an additional hour of baking, we pulled it out of the oven, and attempted to carefully eat it without causing third degree burns to our mouths.

The finished product.

The yummy inside.

Our next celebration is just around the corner; we're having an Irish meal for St. Patrick's Day. It's so much fun to have traditions scattered throughout the year! It adds a spark to a dull or frustrating week. Do you have a tradition that you enjoy? What tradition would you start?