Happy 233rd Sweet America

Just lounging by the (baby)pool today celebrating!!

Hubs is hard at work and the boys and I are holding down the fort...What a day!!

First, it is so beautiful today!!

The Boys are happy!!Mommy's happy!!and we have much to be Thankful for!!I put this new song by Lee Greenwood on my playlist for today..I remember the first time i heard it..

It was on one of our family vacations as a teenager...

I actually liked when we would go away...it was always far, since we lived in Ft.Lauderdale, Florida...so just about everything was a good distance...anyway...on our way back home from a trip to Kentucky, we went to Stone Mountain in Georgia...

Oh My!! We were like the fourth family there...which was SO great...let me set this up a little better...we were there to watch the Fourth of July Light show being cast off the side of the mountain including fireworks..and oh, tens of thousands of other families that arrived after us..remember, we were family #4!! We picnicked, we became surrounded...it rained...

we laughed...a lot...under garbage bags...

and then the sun went down...and the laser light show began!!

This was when i first heard the song "Proud to be an American"

As a teenager, well, a person on the whole, i'm kinda sensitive anyway...but, as a teenager, with heightened senses...I WILL NEVER FORGET THOSE MOMENTS!!!

I have never been able to hear this song again without tears gushing from my face...and it is so true...

...Where at least i know i'm free....

my Home away from Home....

sometimes, as i lift my face from the bathroom sink after brushing my teeth,and never have a thought about how much water will be available to me... and see my face...a face among so many like Gabillion faces...and mine has always had the privilege of American freedom...the freedom to spend the day with my baby boys, snapping pictures of them as they go about their day...

The freedom to tell those i love how incredibly wonderful they are to me..the freedom to Love my God without fear...

My America...My Home away from Home...

I will always remember "STANDING UP" next to all of those other thousands of families during that Fourth of July..

Now as a Mom...an actual grownup and all....I am immensely grateful to all of the men and women who have and are putting themselves...their freedom, on hold for ours...for our America..

Thankyou, deeply, from just another family...who you help keep Free!!!

MY God will Bless you...

Sweet America!!

And another thing i whipped up....

my CRAZY YUMMY necklace!!!

I'm sorry i didn't get this one in the shop in time for The Fourth of July....but i am enjoying wearing it today....

I made the first of these necklaces over the course of probably 3 months!! Okay, not start to finish, no sleep for me, fingers to the bone...but it does have many steps to it!!!

I bought a couple sweet rings from Sara Mincey at Sara's art house..and she sent me a small stack of little circles from some of the paper SHE paints to create her masterpieces....

I carefully looked at each of them, wiping drool as i admired the tiny pieces of art in my hands..I envisioned this necklace immediately!! I had to wear the art!!!

and i now have four more ...3/4 of the way done...

look for them in the shop Monday, Wednesday and Friday of this next week!!!

Please go have a Love-fully Fourth!!!

I'll proudly stand up next to you....in the line for watermelon and American flag dessert!!!

You go first....

LOVE!!