Getting Ready for Independence Day July 4th, 2010!

Family are due in beginning this evening.  Not all are coming just to celebrate the 4th.  My husband is helping my niece move from near DC to North Carolina.  We are close to being on their route, and we have a truck and a trailer!  But, for the 4th celebration, she and her husband will be here, as will her dad and mom. 

Also coming are two of our three children, and three of our four grand children and both the great grand children, and the great grand children's other great grandma!  We also have a friend visiting until the 12th of July!

You might have guessed already, I have been busy!!  It's taken me three days of shopping to gather up all the food and toys and stuff we will need for the next several days.  I've made menu plans and have already begun to cook.

Menus:

today - green beans with bacon and onion, sweet corn bread and fried apples (Today's supper was GOOD and even earned me some expressed appreciation from my husband and our friend who is visiting.  I was very pleased.  Men ate and did more than yum as they gobbled and pat their tummies after, they both told me it was great and thanked me.  Did I say I was pleased?) 

tomorrow - beef stew, more corn bread and strawberry-rhubarb pie (I have never made one before but I found the recipe on the computer here, and it looks easy enough.  I'll be sure to let you all know!)

Friday - spaghetti or linguine with alfredo sauce, pizzas they will top with whatever they  like from my collection of toppings and pineapple upside-down cake (My husband's all time favorite for me to make him.)

Saturday - big breakfast of sausage, bacon, gravy, biscuits, eggs, juice and coffee
and for supper, grilled chicken breasts, fried potatoes, left over breads, left over green beans, corn on the cob, and left over deserts

Sunday - hamburgers, and hot dogs on the grill, chips, potato salad, and a pound cake with white icing, blueberries and strawberries
Monday - left overs

This is the first time in years I will be doing so much 'from scratch' cooking.  I'm cooking ahead so later I can just heat things up and I can enjoy the fun times too.  It's amazing to me that the recipes I thought were so difficult, and so I used mixes or ready made for them, are coming along quite easily.  Quick, prayer, 'Please God let that trend continue! In His name, Amen'.  Now, I feel ready to continue.  And, I really don't especailly like to cook.  It's just something I can do.

I think the house will smell amazing for the next few days.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Entertainment:

Younger folks:
There are some small and cute, toys for the seven and four year old great grand daughters. 
I bought six new water guns.  (Generally we find the grown men like these better than the kids, but so long as someone plays with them!)
And a slip and slide.

Older folks:
there will be games, always supplied for our family get togethers by our oldest daughter and her husband. 
And, not quite entertainment but time filling, some of people will be moving that niece to her first place! 
There is a art show in Cherokee, NC that we can go to on Saturday,
fireworks on Saturday night,
church on Sunday morning,
and a movie in town on Sunday afternoon, if people can stay long enough.

Decorations:

We have our flag up,
white and blue lights on the deck railing,
little flags in a couple of flower pots,
and a flag pin wheel. 
There are red, white and blue table decorations, plates, napkins and cups. 

We are ready!

So...if you were my family would you think I did good?  I sure hope they think so.

Hoping all the USA has a great 4th.