Tag Archives | summer

Celebrating the 4th of July

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Happy Birthday America!

The weather forecast looks great for the up coming 4th of July celebration.  I have already brought out our flags to decorate the house and the yard.  Some preparations are underway to help save time and make the day as stress-free as possible. Here are a few ways I have incorporated simple and easy ideas for this festive occasion.  Store bought donuts sprinkled with patriotic colors is a fun treat to serve at anytime of day.  In addition, the classic root beer float is another great treat.  Scoop the vanilla ice cream into individual glasses and store them in the freezer until ready to use.  All you will need to do later is to pour the root beer into each glass and serve.  When it comes to activities, kids love to make noise and pop things, a good supply of pop-its will keep them busy throughout the day. Last but not least, sparklers are always a great way to light up the night.

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Forth of July - sparklers

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Bring out the sparklers, pop-its, and lots of US flags.

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Forth of July - sparklers

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Forth of July - backyard

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Forth of July - backyard

It’s nice to spend some time outside….sit and relax…enjoy the summer weather …have a glass wine…and good company (Bill).

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Forth of July - root beer floats

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Forth of July - root beer floats

Ice cold glasses filled with vanilla ice cream and root beer.

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Forth of July - root beer floats

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Forth of July - donuts

red-white-blue donuts

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Forth of July - Glory

Our French brittany, Glory, enjoying the day with us.

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Forth of July 7-4 fireworks

No matter what the plans may be for the day, to end the night with fireworks is something our family always look forward to.  As the sun starts to set, we pack up a bag with blankets and fill the cooler with drinks and some snacks then set out on a drive to a nearby park and wait for the display of lights to begin.

I hope you and your family will have a great fourth of July!

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Posted by Kay

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Plum Island, Eastern Point Lighthouse and Summer Cocktails

Plum Island - Lighthouse - Cape Cod

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I hope you are enjoying the warm weather and soaking in the long summer days.  It has been awhile since my last post,  and I hope to get back into the swing of things after the summer break.  I’ve been posting on Instagram @whitegunpowderliftstyle, of our daily happenings and thoughts if you want to check it out and follow us there.  If you were to ask me about my summer, “busy” would describe it.  But, if you were to glance at my bare calendar with a few penciled in reminders it would contradict what I just said.  The daily life has been filled with mostly little things that come in waves depending on the weather or who one of my kids is in contact with.  There was one big travel plan for Bill and our daughter, Grace, to explore the country of Turkey and Greece in July.  After much thought, we decided to cancel it with so much uncertainty and unrest happening in that part of the world.  Staying close to home felt like the right thing to do this summer.

This blog post is a follow up to my last year’s blog post, Summer (teen) packing list…destination Cape Cod.  My intention was to put it together and share the photos my daughter, Hannah took on her trip to the east coast.  Soon after she came back, life had a way of changing things and it was put off and shoved on a shelf {in a computer file} to collect dust for over a year until I came upon it recently. I hope you enjoy this follow up post of the beautiful beaches of Plum Island and a visit to a favorite lighthouse in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

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Summer Gazpacho

Gazpacho

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Gazpacho is an ideal summertime soup to make and enjoy on a hot day. With a little bit of prep time, this classic tomato-base Spanish soup comes together quickly.  There are many wonderful variations of the recipe to try.  My personal favorite uses fresh vegetables chopped into small pieces combined with other ingredients to bring out the right balance of chunky-crunchy texture and tangy-spicy flavor in every spoonful.  This recipe is versatile, feel free to adjust the ingredients to suit your taste.  A simple and delicious soup to serve as an appetizer, as a part of the main course, or as a healthy snack.

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Strawberry Jam and Blueberry Jam Crumble Bars

Crumble bars- strawberry and blueberry jam

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From the moment I saw these Strawberry Jam Crumble Bars on the front cover of the latest issue of Bake From Scratch magazine, it was going to be something new to try.  The recipe was simple to assemble and bake. The original recipe uses the Quick Strawberry Jam {recipe at the end of the blog post} as the filling, but I decided to substitute it with my homemade strawberry jam.  The result turned out great.  I think a good store bought jam will work just as well in the recipe if you don’t have time make it.  To accompany the jam filling, a sprinkling of fresh strawberries gave it another depth of flavor.  Because the recipe was quick and easy, I decided to make an extra batch and used my homemade blueberry jam. These bars are great as snacks, treats, or desserts.

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Stripes… Spring / Summer 2016

Fashion-stripes

The trend many designers incorporated into their spring/summer 2016 collections was the use of stripes. They ranged from soft and subtle to bold and extra large in horizontal, vertical or diagonal patterns.  The classic black and white stripes is timeless and a staple part of fashion.  With the added variety of stripes, it will be a fun season to mix and match the different patterns, colors, and styles. Here are some to consider for spring and the up coming summer from J Crew, Ralph Lauren 1 • 2 and Dolce & Gabbana

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