Star Spangled Fun

I've been chatting with Ashley about the lack of good summer decorations for our front porches. It seems like 'beach' is the only theme the stores hype, and it's just not my speed. However, I saw this, and fell in love.


It's really cute, but not all of the things apply to me. I see no Ice Cold Diet Cokes or Gilroy Gardens. And sun rises are gross because that means you have to get up early. So--Kristine and I are making our own signs similar to this one. In the meantime, I managed to whip up a patriotic scene for the 4th.

Patriotic pinwheels anchored in sand. Adorable!

WHOOOO could hate such a patriotic bird? Brooke, because she hates America, and the pursuit of happiness. As Molly pointed out, he looks like Honest Abe in his little hat.

My adorable handmade wreath, inspired by Pinterest.

We had a great turnout, great spread, and some tasty bbq. We did burgers, dogs, and marinated chicken. I also whipped up my time intensive baked beans for the win.

The kids partied on the lawn with the sprinkler, play kitchen, water table, and cars.



We took in the fireworks in Milpitas, which was super fun, and a great value at $3 a person. They had a live band, dancing, and general patriotic fun before the fireworks show started at 9:15.

B was excited by the fireworks, and told us how "loud" and "bright" they were. She's quite the talker these days.

We took advantage of the nice weather, and hit up Capitola. The sand was HOT, and we realized a bit late that we forgot that our beach umbrella got obliterated by the wind last summer. So our trip was short, but action packed. B loved the ocean, waves, and wet sand.

We stopped in at Gayle's for our obligatory post-beach snack. That was the tastiest tuna sandwich of my life. The flourless cookies were also a hit with me.

We've been enjoying the holiday week--I spent a fair amount of time lazing on a blanket with a picnic lunch at the Andersens.

B showed off her newly acquired breakdancing skills to collect tuppence.

And, of course, plenty of time in the local parks with friends.

We've also been catching up on movies, which I love! We rented The Grey, and Chronicle, both of which I highly recommend.


In the theatre I've seen Moonrise Kingdom, a movie I will never admit to seeing, and Rock of Ages.


Tom Cruise has never been hotter. But if you've been reading my blog for a long time, this should not surprise you. I can't help myself. There's just something so universally appealing about a drunk man with long hair, guyliner, tats, a cowboy hat, and a fur coat.

Which is obviously why I married this guy.

Happy Fourth to everyone! Hope it was spectacular!