This year was easily my favorite July 4th to date! We drove up to my parents’ house in Tennessee early that morning and got there just in time to catch their small-town parade. It was mostly tractors and churches, but that’s the South! 🙂
We all had so much fun watching my nephews take it all in. Sitting at the front of the parade with two adorable little boys meant they got allll the swag. Candy, balls, frisbees and “Jesus Loves You” bracelets. I love the South.
We spent the rest of the day hanging out around my parents’ patio – playing corn hole, wading in the little pool with the boys, talking and of course…eating all the good food. 🙂 My mom always delivers a delicious menu with all the special touches that we all love.
My sister suggested that we get matching Old Navy shirts, and we had so much fun with that!
Look at these amazing Mini Orange Chocolate Chunk Cakes – or as my Mom called them, “Firecracker Cakes.” They were delicious with a scoop of ice cream! My mom has never been one to settle for easy or basic desserts and we are so glad. 🙂 Yum!
My brother in law commented that July 4th is a lot like Thanksgiving – an American holiday that’s centered around food, family and gratefulness. I’ve never really thought about it that way, but it’s true! My heart is certainly full of gratefulness for the privilege of living in America and for being able to share the day with my favorite people!
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Come Home For Comfort 
Your 4th celebration sounds wonderful! Love the Jesus bracelets.
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Thank you! It was a great time!
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Awwwww, Whitney, thanks for sharing this day with us. You all look to cute in your shirts. Your mom sure does put a lot of love into everything she does. She is an inspirations to me and so are you.
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Thank you, Debbi! Mom really did make it a special day for us. 🙂
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What a fun 4th!! I love festive clothes and that your whole family was able to join in the fun. It’s easy to see why this 4th would have been a favorite. Glad you were able to make the trip to be together 🙂
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It was such a fun time – and yes, so nice that we could all be there. That doesn’t always happen with work schedules and everything else going on.
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Your family really knows how to have fun!!
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We do! I’m very grateful for them. 🙂
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What a lovely day….all the delights of a holiday with no gifts and just eating.lol Your mother always does a lovely job with making her tables look lovely. those Firecracker Cakes look delicious.
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Exactly! It’s a lot less prep and all of the fun! 🙂
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I love your 4th of July decorations! We had a very similar day here!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
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I’m so glad for you! 🙂
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What a great recap of our fun celebration. I’d have to say this was one of my favorite 4th’s, too! It was so much fun having everyone here in this place, our gift from God that we love so much. Our family is also a gift from the Lord and we are grateful for any time we get to spend together. I never take it for granted, nor do I expect it. It’s all of grace! Thanks for your sweet comments about the food and cake. It’s always my blessing to get to feed people good food! As Ina Garten says, “People remember what you serve for dessert!” So I take that pretty seriously! Ha!
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That quote is especially true about our family! 🙂
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