Happy Independence Day!

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Every holiday I look forward to having an excuse to try out new ideas I've been thinking about since the last holiday.

I planned to have a red, white and blue themed Fourth of July, no surprise there, but this year since the neighborhood children are getting older, I wanted to have a more interactive, family focused day. Meaning no more renting the giant bounce house as a babysitter, but instead getting the neighborhood together to have some real live family fun.












I've been seeing all of these great ideas on Pinterest and had grand plans of playing Twister, followed by some Ping Pong and wrapping up with a kickball tournament. Unfortunately things don't always go as planned.  I had just frosted the last cake and stirred up the first batch of Skinny Margaritas when I heard it. The unmistakable scream of a child in real trouble. My daughter and my young cousin were practicing a dance routine for the show they were planning to put on tonight when it happened.

My little boy was bouncing a ping pong ball on a paddle and some how, now sure exactly what happened, that little white ball went under her foot and my twelve year old cousin went down like a free drink, clearly dislocating her knee cap.
If you ever have the opportunity to see a dislocated knee cap, I suggest taking a pass, it is not for the faint of heart. I'm not sure if it was a result of my military training or years of experience as a mother, but I managed to keep a smile on my face while I held her and called for a friend to call 911.

Seriously, nothing spells P-A-R-T-Y like the hook and ladder!

Two hours, one ambulance ride, one shot of pain killer and a new team event called "knee cap relocation," my cousin and I were back home and back to our guests. (A HUGE Thank You to the Newport Hospital ER for an incredibly quick turnaround and great patient care!!)

Long story short, I didn't get many, but was able to take just a few photos of my party planning before "the incident."

Red, White and Blue popcorn. 

Jello, brown sugar and corn syrup, all melted into a candy coating, take Kettle Corn to a whole new level!

Our Sampson looking forlorn. Sorry buddy - dogs don't get chocolate dipped cake balls.

I found these 18" nylon, Chinese lanterns today at Marshall's. 

My only regret was not getting the red one! I'm definitely picking it up tomorrow!

Back Yard Twister

 While setting up the Twister Game, I spotted this piece of plywood behind the shed and it hit me. 

Ping Pong! 

I had paint left over from the America nightstand I just finished, had just painted this golf ball basket thinking it might hold napkins and my Max has been running around with his portable net and paddles all week. 

Viola! Instant, No cost Ping Pong table. 

The kids LOVED it!

(Run out of red spray paint, but with plenty of blue I did a quick frog tape-star and filled in the blank)

 A little natural decor - Crimson Hydrangeas - adapted to my soil and turned purple. 

If you have ever spent time in Rhode Island, you'll have noticed how abundant these plants are.

The giant hydrangeas in every yard were the first thing I noticed when I came to Newport. 

 They absolutely thrive here!

My Annabelle's

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