One of my favorite parts of the summer is here. I love celebrating America with family and friends every summer. While we don’t have a regular trip planned or a tradition for fireworks, we always celebrate. This week we kicked things off with lots of crafts, treats and patriotic attire. This weekend, we’re hosting friends and AG is pretty pumped about fireworks. This will be her first year staying up for them….if she makes it that late.
Since it’s Friday…I’m sharing five of my favorites for this week, patriotic themed of course!
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One of our favorite patriotic crafts is making fireworks out of a cut up toilet paper roll. It’s such an easy craft that your littles will absolutely love. All you do is cut the ends of a toilet paper roll. You want long thin pieces to create a firework. After the roll is cut, bend the pieces outward so that your child can push it down flat onto the paper. From there, all your little one has to do is dip it in the paint and press it on the paper. We used red, white and blue paint for our picture.
This is the finished product. Isn’t it neat?!
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My all American girl! She insisted on wearing her patriotic shades with all of her patriotic outfits this week. And she rocked them! I’m so glad the Olympics are this year, she’ll be able to get lots of wear out of her outfits cheering for America next month!
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Snacks! I love any reason to get all festive with snacks for the kids. Holidays are just the best. Today, we made these flag graham crackers. I spread vanilla icing on a graham cracker and used strawberries and blueberries to make the flag. Took me 10 minutes to make. One child refused to eat them because she didn’t like blueberries and the other devoured it in 5 minutes.
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I mentioned we’re having friends over this weekend. While I love hosting parties, I don’t love spending all day cleaning and prepping. I always go for semi-homemade and easy prep recipes when it comes to entertaining. This weekend, I’ll be whipping up a Ranch and Bacon Suddenly Pasta Salad as one of our cookout sides.
There are a variety of different salads to choose from, you’re sure to find one your guests will love! Throughout the month of July, you can get $.75 off of the purchase of three suddenly salads dishes at Publix. You can find the coupon here.
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What weekend is complete without a cocktail? I think I’ll be making these lemonade cocktails for our friends this weekend. What do you think? They look delicious, don’t they?!?
GIVEAWAY!!!!
What better way to start the weekend than with a giveaway?!? Comment below to win $15 PayPal cash by telling me which Suddenly Salad you would make this holiday weekend!
Love the fireworks craft. I’ve been meaning to do that one but I think I’m out of time since we leave for the beach tomorrow. Oh well we can do it when we get back. Love her shades!! We bought some at Target in the dollar aisle and they are a huge hit.
I LOVE that paint idea! I have 3 year boys who would love to paint fireworks. Definitely putting it on the craft list. 🙂
I would try the Ranch Spinach Pasta recipe from their site
I want to make the Suddenly Pasta Salad™ Creamy Italian with hamburgers.
I just picked up a box of the bacon ranch! Delish!
I would make the Classic version of Suddenly Salad.
I made the classic box to take to a cookout at my sister in laws yesterday.
Oh wow, that fireworks craft is absolutely adorable! My son was a little young this year, but I’m totally going to pin this one for next summer! Also, I would LOVE to have that cocktail recipe. Lemonade is my FAVE! Thanks for sharing <3 #SuddenlySaladSummer
Savannah recently posted…Gluten-Free Chicken Lo Mein
I like to make the Ranch and Bacon suddenly Salad.
cshell090869 at aol dot com
I’ll definitely be making the bacon and ranch suddenly salad
showstopper474 at gmail dot com
So I tried doing the fireworks painting with straws, but we didn’t have bendy ones and it was a total fail. Toilet paper rolls would have been SO MUCH EASIER! Next time!
Ok, I love everything about this post. Those fireworks crafts are too cute! As is her little dress and sunnies! How awesome are those graham cracker flags! Totally stealing that one for next year. Plus, I love a good pasta salad and lemonade cocktail!
Sara McCarty recently posted…Blackberry Picking at Eckert’s Farms
i’d love to try the greek pasta salad
the creamy italian sounds great
I’d love to try the greek salad and pair with salmon!
Lindilala at aol dot com
the black and blue pasta looks amazing with a side of salad and salmon.
linjumimom at aol dot com
You are so good with crafts!!!! I need to be better about this! 🙂