happy birthday, u.s.a.!

{source}

happy 4th of july!

get out there and celebrate america.

be safe.

There's No Place Like Home

We're back! What a fun weekend we had...the weather could not have been more perfect for camping. Well, except for the gusty winds yesterday evening and last night, but I'm not complaining!

We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend camping in Buxton, NC. We were treated to not one, but THREE firework displays that we could see all from the comfort of our campsite. We didn't have to deal with parking, traffic or seating and the kids didn't need to cover their ears from the noise. It was perfect!

We are a bit sad & shocked, however. We spent Saturday on Ocracoke Island and unfortunately tragedy struck:

FIREWORKS TRUCK EXPLODES ON OCRACOKE

We didn't know anything about the explosion at all until THIS morning during our drive home when a family member texted me to see if we were OK because she knew we were down that way. We are sad for the lives lost and we are truly blessed that we somehow missed all of the commotion and chaos - considering we were on the beach at the northern end of the island shortly after the explosion took place. Because we don't necessarily pay attention to the time while were at the beach, we are guessing that we were on the ferry headed TO Ocracoke when the accident happened. In true Ocracoke fashion, the community has rallied together and is paying tribute to the people who lost their lives:

MEMORIAL PARADE HELD ON OCRACOKE FOR WORKERS KILLED IN EXPLOSION

In other sad news, I killed my camera. :( Thank goodness I have my "old" camera still...although now I'm trying to convince the hubs that I NEED a new camera. You know, one that is, hmmm, waterproof and can withstand the fall from a bathing suit top into a small tide pool at the beach. Yeah, I need a camera like that. Perhaps in pink, but I'm not picky about color. *wink, wink*

I will have pictures and a proper recap posted...right now the mountain of laundry in the laundry room is calling my name.

I hope that everyone had a safe & wonderful holiday weekend...tomorrow it's back to the daily grind! Oh, how I love a 3-day weekend...I wish all weekends were that way!

Let Freedom Ring!

{the picture is a scan of the front of a postcard Miss Sweet Tea sent me...isn't it cute?!}

Can you believe we're already into July and this weekend is the 4th? I'm sure most of you are going to enjoy the long weekend - I know I am! Once again, my family is beach-bound and, just like last weekend, we're headed down to the beaches of North Carolina...only this time we'll be staying in Buxton on Hatteras Island. My parents are coming with us and we are all very excited about spending the holiday weekend with them. My mom is NOT into camping, so this weekend will be a first for her, but I'm sure she'll have a wonderful time nonetheless! I will have pictures for you when I get back!

Please be safe this weekend and take time out to thank our service men & women - retired & active duty - who fight so hard to keep our freedom.

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While I'm gone there MAY be some changes made on my blog, so please bear with me. Back in June I won a blog makeover from Danielle at The Design Girl and she would like to get started on it soon. I'm very excited about what my new layout will look like. Danielle is SUPER talented and she's got some fabulous ideas and designs. I urge you all to check her out!

When I return, I'll blog about that MYSTERY item that showed up on my porch. I'm actually working on part of that blog today. Becky commented and asked if it was a cake or a chocolaty something. Well, she's right...it IS a cake and it IS filled with chocolate goodness! Go to Bake Me A Wish to get a sneak peek of my next product review AND giveaway {which will be posted on Monday, July 6th}.

I've got some other exciting giveaways up my sleeve {mostly for the kidlet set} and another product review/giveaway in the works for anyone who enjoys DRINKING their servings of fruit.

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Happy 4th of July!