A Star-Spangled HodgePodge

I liked the theme of today's "hodgepodge" questions and am waiting for laundry to be done, so thought I'd participate again.   Head over to this blog to jump in! 

1. What does freedom mean to you? 

Freedom, to me, means I'm not enslaved to any one or any thing. My true freedom is in Christ and has been since I gave my life over to the One who set me free in July 1975 when I was fifteen years old. I'm a Christ follower and my soul is free!  When I do sin (and we all do!!) I can go right to God and ask forgiveness and He accepts me, forgives me, loves me. True freedom in my soul. 

and because we live in the USA, you don't have to agree with me about Christ and His freedom, but you are free to follow your religion! 

On our family room wall, we have the Four Freedoms by Norman Rockwell.  

Freedom from Fear, Freedom from Want, Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Speech.  Let's pray these freedoms continue!!

2. How will you celebrate Independence Day this year? If you live outside the USA answer this question as it relates to your own country's patriotic holiday, wherever that may land on the calendar.

Gone are the days of camping, being at the beach house, or renting a cottage in the ADK.  This year, because we traveled so much this Spring, we are staying home on the 4th and preparing for a big beach bash at this place on the 5th.  Our oldest daughter and her boyfriend will join us, along with her good friend Nathaniel from college.  My sister might pop up to visit and I'm hoping my other sister or her daughters will pop up as well.  We're bringing the kayaks, lots of good picnic food, swim stuff, and a couple of board games. We may or may not stay until dinner time and eat out at one of the restaurants up there. Sadly, our youngest daughter has to work on the 4th and the 5th!!  (Who gets their eyes examined on Independence Day weekend???!!) 

3. This or that...red, white, or blue? Stars or stripes? Watermelon, home made ice cream, or blueberry pie? How do you feel about fireworks?  

Hm....what does the creator of this question mean by "red, white, or blue?"  Will I wear those colors on the 4th?  I'll probably ar a pair of denim shorts, a white tee and my red/white/blue earrings.  For the beach bash, I'm wearing denim shorts and a navy blue tee with "USA" and an American flag in the corner on top of one of my swimsuits. Those colors are all throughout my home for my July decor.  We also have the flag hanging from the front porch. I have little garden flags for Independence Day as well. 

Watermelon, Homemade ice cream, blueberry pie??  Again does the questioner mean which of these will we eat, or which is our fave??  I love all 3 although we no longer make homemade ice cream.......we did it often when the girls were little. For the beach bash, Courtney's bf volunteered to bring watermelon. I don't eat pie really, so rarely make it. 

fireworks??  yes...we enjoy fireworks.  the neighbor on the corner, gets them (they're illegal in NYS unless a professional with a permit is doing them) and starts shooting them off around 9:30 pm.  We can see a good display from our deck. 

4. What have you purchased recently that made you excited? 

Something that made me excited??  Some items for my oldest daughter's birthday which is next week.  I'm doing a "milkshake "  theme and found some adorable tea towels to go with the theme. I was most excited that they were 2 of $5!!  Gotta love Target!  

The other exciting purchase I've made are two amphitheatre tickets to this place to see the story ballet Coppelia next week when the NYCBallet is in town. My youngest daughter and I are going!!  It's our yearly tradition since she was 8. 

5. I'm thankful to live in America (or fill in whatever country you call home) because_____________

because despite the whackos currently leading the nation, we are still a democratic (somewhat) nation with the right to vote, and so many other rights. Although we have some of the most crime of any nation in the world, and some of the most unhappiness people (as compared to the Netherlands that have the happiest people on the planet and a much better social system) we have diversity of people/cultures/religions/languages.  We have the beautiful Northeast and all the mountains, the praires of the Mid-West, the beaches on the south, the deserts of the west. We have small villages, National Parks, large cities, and suburban towns. We have beautiful monuments. museums and music halls. We have Broadway musicals and the Boston Red Sox. We have so many colleges and universities for our young people to choose from. I'm thankful I live in America and I pray this nation endures the next few years. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Soon I'll be able to make my fave Summer sandwich"
fresh basil, tomato, thin cheddar or lemon beet hummus
between slices of Naan spread with vegan Hellmann's. 
YUMMY!!!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEK!!