Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

top hat, originally uploaded by alamodestuff.

I'm sorry to not have an OM post this week, but im spending some quality time with family as we trek across the country.

Tomorrow we'll be in Park City, Utah for a few days before we make the final trek into Reno.

I hope you have a nice weekend!

The nation's oldest 4th of July parade in Bristol, RI

In 1785, the first 4th of July parade took place in Bristol, RI. This is the home of the nation's oldest and continuous 4th of July celebration. Just one town over from ours, this small town along the Narragansett Bay throws a huge party to celebrate our nation's independence. While many of the old homes are decked out in red, white, and blue every day, the 4th of July is the day the town works toward each year.

The people of Bristol are serious about their parade and start staking territory as early as 1AM the morning of. The roads are closed early in the morning and traffic stands still until the parade ends.

For the past 5 years, my mother-in-law has hosted a party just around the corner from the parade route. Her home becomes party central as many of our friends and hers stop by for food, drink, air conditioning, and fun. As this year may be our last here, the celebration was bittersweet.

Here are a few photos I snapped this year (for full screen mode, hover over and click on the 4 arrows on the lower right corner of the photo box).




What did you do this weekend?

Happy July 4th, 2010 - easy red white and blue strawberry treats

strawberry dipped in white chocolate, originally uploaded by alamodestuff.

Yesterday, I saw this easy to make dessert on Twitter. Today the boys and I made them for tomorrow's 225th Annual 4th of July parade in Bristol, RI. [I'll fill you in on this event tomorrow or Tuesday.]

Thanks to @DaisyJanie who retweeted a link to @PaulaPrass's blog post about these yummy treats (see her post here).

3 ingredients/3 easy steps:


strawberries
white chocolate (I used chips)
blue sugar

1) We melted the white chocolate chips in an extra small sauce pan with a little half and half. [After attempting to melt via microwave and stove top, the half and half thinned the chocolate enough to keep it melted and consistent for dipping.]

2) We dipped the strawberries in the melted chocolate letting the excess chocolate drip off.

3) Lastly, we dipped it in the blue sugar and placed them on parchment paper. Yum!

You may have to eat the ones you deem not suitable for your guests.  We certainly had a few that were messed up accidentally on purpose.

We couldn't let any chocolate go to waste, so we dipped pretzels in what was remaining.

Happy 4th everyone!  Enjoy!

Family --- Friends --- Fun!

We had a great holiday weekend! The best was that my hubby was around for most of it. That is a rarity as his job demands so much of his time.

We gathered with friends at an annual 4th of July celebration in Bristol, RI (established in 1785, it's the oldest continuous celebration of its kind in the United States). It was so great to catch up and relax with friends. We also did a few things that simply had summer written all over them: mini golf, eating at a clam shack, and an outdoor-on-the-water restaurant. We did some shopping and watched some great movies (Waitress and Stranger than Fiction).

Now...back to work...

Happy 4th of July!

We're having a cookout with friends and hope to enjoy all the festivities through Sunday. I would love to hear what others are doing this weekend.

Have a great holiday weekend!