Flags, Fireworks and Friends

Ahhhhh!  Refreshing summers in Florida, right?  Not really!  For those who do not live in Florida, summers here are HOT!  And very steamy due to the frequent rain.  They don't call it the tropical season for nothing!  But this year, I decided to risk it and throw all caution to the wind (or rain, as it were) and plan a little backyard party for a few friends this 4th of July.  And Florida being Florida, rain threatened our get together as Tropical Storm Arthur advanced through the Atlantic.  But we stayed course, because planning a BBQ is just not as fun when you use the George Forman Grill to cook the hamburgers and hotdogs.  Fortunately, by 4:00 that afternoon, the rain had stopped and we were able to set up the tables.  We were a go!

 

 

One of the neat traditions in our neighborhood is volunteers place an American flag in every yard to honor our veterans.

 

 

 

 

As the guests arrived, we had some activities for all the kiddos to have fun with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My hubby, Scott was the master griller for the evening.  He starts with grilled onions as the appetizers.  They are always a hit.  Onions cored in the middle and stuffed with butter, beef bouillon and parmesan cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

Burgers, hotdogs, corn on the cobb and salad completed the dinner menu.

 

 

 

 

Another fun thing we did was to have a little cookie decorating time for the kids.  They could decorate their fruit pizzas like the American flag using strawberries and blueberries.

And we finished dinner off with some home made ice cream.

 



 

 

 

 

 

We finished off the evening with sparklers and a walk to the river to watch the fireworks.

 

We had a sweet evening with friends celebrating our country's independence, and didn't let the weather dampen our spirits.