I always enjoy a good patriotic quilt. Last year I had my flag quilt sent to the quilter to finish. This year I finished the binding and laid it out on my bed. I had the quilter do a patriotic swirls and stars design which I think came out great. This was such an easy quilt to sew up and great for beginners. The hardest part was finding all those red, white and blue prints. I scoured every site I could find for charm packs with that theme.

Primrose Garden did a mystery quilt a long this year with a patriotic theme that I am in the middle of making. Obviously it won’t be done for the celebration this year.

I did not buy their kit, so I have been using Lori Holts Americana fabric to make my quilt. I really like Lori Holts Americana fabric as it is so versatile. So I have been trying out the various fabrics to determine color placement entirely. I tend to just use kits that tell me what color to use so it has been fun “auditioning” fabric.

I enjoy quilting but I know that I can only quilt when I am in the mood. Otherwise I make too many mistakes. Nothing worst than using that seam ripper.

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All I can say about my little terrier is that she will never be an Instagram star. She views posing for the camera a personal insult to all dogs. All I can say is she is much better than my Maltese was. Poor Olive thought she was being punished and she would look away when I tried taking a picture. But Olive loved to dress up. But to Penny, dressing up is the worst punishment out there.

So I made her a patriotic bandana for the 250th celebration. I was sure I could get one quick photo and be done.

50 photos later and I got ONE that was doable.

The cute bandana was double sided and very fashionable.

All I can say is I tried.

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I love to do jigsaw puzzles. Originally I only did puzzles for Christmas. You know, cozy at home, hot cocoa, puzzle, Hallmark Christmas movies playing in the background. But last year I expanded to Halloween. Since this is a special year I decided to do a July 4th puzzle. One of my favorite puzzle brand (Galiston) had just what I wanted.

This puzzle by Galiston is a Michael Storring design which I believe the same artist from the Halloween puzzle last year.

Halfway thru, so far very easy to find the pieces.

Completed in time. 500 piece puzzles are pretty easy and quick to put together.

Now onto the new exciting series. For a long time I have seen these companies that send you letters via snail mail for a whole year. You become involved with the characters and events. I decided to sign up for the American Revolutionary series.

Here is a sample of some content that I will receive. So for 12 months I will receive snail mail. I look forward to my first letter. This should be fun and exciting and if all goes well, maybe I can do another series.

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I love doing cross stitch projects and have many finished pieces (but rarely fully finished). I have been doing this craft since my late teens. I love how the industry has grown and there are so many great patterns and designers. Not like when I was young which was only white or beige Aida and DMC threads. Although I still love Aida and DMC there are so many other threads and fabric to choose from.

Being the 250th anniversary I wanted to do something special to commemorate the event. I have several in the pipeline which I know will not be done this year.

The one I am currently working on is from Lori Holt called Scrappy Americana Flag. Because this almost a full coverage piece it is taking me much longer to finish.

A lot of stichers are working on this one and I have seen many finishes. In fact my sister finished and framed this piece.

I only have the red stripes, the words and the border to finish.

Another stitch I have seen many people work on is Teresa Kogut’s 250th Celebration piece.

Other patterns I am interested in stitching are as follows:

I suspect none of these will be stitched before July 4th but some of them are easier so I may get them done shortly thereafter.

The Holiday Sampling from Primrose Cottage is part of a series that originally were the seasons. They now have branched out to holidays. I strongly suspect that a Halloween Sampler is coming soon.

I know my eyes are bigger than my stitching fingers but time will tell on which of these get stitched.

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I enjoy drinking tea, both hot and iced. I am always intrigued when one of my favorite tea companies comes out with a special blend during the holidays.

Smith Tea is a newer tea company to me but I have been eyeing their website ever so often. Well when I saw their patriotic red, white and blue tea for summer I could not resist.

Their three tea blends are Hibiscus Mango (red), White Peach (white) and Blackberry Jasmine (blue).

• 4 1-Quart Sachets of Hibiscus Mango Iced Tea: A bright mango forward infusion of juicy hibiscus flowers, orange peel and smooth rooibos. Caffeine-free for enjoyment any time of day. One sip and everything’s rosy.
• 4 1-Quart Sachets of White Peach Iced Tea: Delicate yet full-bodied white tea is rounded out with juicy peach, pineapple, orange peel and vanilla. A shimmering golden tea you’ll want in your glass all summer long, preferably poolside.
• 4 1-Quart Sachets of Blackberry Jasmine Iced Tea: A dazzling sapphire blend of premium Jasmine Silver Tip tea, sweet blackberry, orange peel, and mango. The beauty of butterfly pea flower naturally makes it a brilliant blue.

So far I have really enjoyed the flavor of the tea, very refreshing and tasty. The only thing I am missing is the fresh fruit to garnish the teas.

You should check out their teas.

So here is to sipping a cold drink during summer!

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Each holiday I like to decorate the porch and July 4th is no exception. Halloween by far is the most extensive decorations but a few patriotic pieces has spiced up my porch. I had this red, white and blue flower wreath that I added a few flags to make it more festive.

Then in the giant urn that is currently holding some summer flowers I have added a few more flags.

And not to be forgotten, I have added two garden flags.

I actually do not have a physical flag. On my roof facia I can see where a flag holder was put up but the previous owners probably removed it. After all these years I probably won’t buy a flag but I do remember growing up getting out the flag to hang in the front of the house.

I am not sure if my family felt any particular national pride per se but it was something you did in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Perhaps they felt more connected to previous wars and lost loved ones.

My maternal Uncle died in World War Two. He was aboard the U.S.S. Pringle that was attacked by a Kamikaze Pilot on April 16, 1945. The ship sank and my uncle perished.

If you want to learn more about the event and see photos of both crew and the ship, please check out this link. https://www.usspringle.org/uss-pringle–home.html

There is a copy of the final letter my Uncle sent home before his death please a few photos.

Ray Arvel England Aug 28, 1924 – April 16, 1945

So many have given their lives for our freedom. Don’t forget this important sacrifice, especially on the 4th.

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Today is flag day. Although not an official holiday per se, it is a day to recognize the meaning of my country’s flag.

I secretly think we cannot add any new territories into a state because how in the heck do you design the flag with 51 stars. LOL. Just kidding, if Puerto Rico wants to be a state, we will make room. Maybe Greenland?

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While researching for a good patriotic poem to share, I noticed that there really wasn’t much available out there. I found most “poems” were put to music and have become beloved patriotic songs. That’s ok, nothing like a catchy tune to remember our country by. I did check out a few Spotify playlists of patriotic songs. Songs varied from “Born in the USA” to military marching songs. A lot of variety. But I will stick to the classics.

Do you remember in school standing up and facing the flag and saying the pledge of allegiance. Every homeroom class started that way. I found out that my Grandnephew does the pledge in the quad of the school every morning. Good to know this practice is still in place.

Do you know what the red, white and blue represents in our flag? Red stands for courage or bloodshed of those who sacrificed for our freedom. White stands for purity. Blue stands for justice. Together they tell a story of unity, strength and our collective identity as Americans.

Some Interesting Facts

George Washington never ran for president

Unlike his successors, George Washington never actually campaigned to be president: He was simply chosen by the popular demand of the electoral college. This happened for both his first and second terms in office, with the elections of 1789 and 1792. He was also the only president ever to unanimously receive all electoral votes.

Half of all U.S. presidents came from four states

Here’s some presidential trivia for you: Virginia, Ohio, New York and Massachusetts are the home states of half of all U.S. presidents. Eight are from Virginia, seven from Ohio, five from New York and four from Massachusetts. Only eight presidents were born west of the Mississippi, and only 21 states were the birthplace of a president.

July 4th is a date that is repeated for Presidents

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, both Founding Fathers, died on July 4, 1826, exactly fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Another President, James Monroe, also died on July 4, in 1831.

Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States, was born on July 4, 1872.

The 4th will be here in a short while, I need to get busy getting set up to enjoy the celebration. Thanks for checking out my blog.

I have a clear memory of me, as a 15 years old girl, walking home and thinking that we are about to celebrate the 200th anniversary of our country’s independence. I also remember thinking if I am still around in 2026 I will have the opportunity to celebrate the 250th anniversary. Well here are in 2026. The time is here and the celebration is next month.

Now I don’t remember what I did the celebrate the 200th. I assume I saw fireworks or did a BBQ. Life was simpler back then. No streaming services, no internet, no social media, no Pinterest to tempt you to celebrate big. Back then we probably still had TV without cable. Limited channels and limited shows. Education was restricted to PBS stations and was rather dry. But now we have the opportunity to learn and educate ourselves now with endless resources. I plan to immerse myself in the American Revolution and learn a little bit more about the start of our country. If time allows I will post my genealogy of the American Patriots in my family tree.

I don’t plan on celebrating big. I have a dog that will probably be scared by all the booms and bangs that happen on the 4th. So I will be home with the doggie doing my own thing. I will do simple things that give me pleasure and have this blog as a reminder of what I did. Below is my plan for patriotic celebration.

I know it is not a lot and is not involving other family and friends, but a quiet celebration is what I am looking forward to.

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I truly enjoy all things Lori Holt. She does the vintage, farm, homespun goodness that I gravitate towards. Before I retired I placed a reservation on her upcoming Farm Girl Quilt. Knowing I would have more time to quilt once I retired (not really true) but also a sort of retirement gift to myself. The goodies arrived this week.

I have a million quilts all ready to be sewn, but I have learned that sewing is only something one does when they are in the mood. Otherwise you make a lot of mistakes. See how cute and farm like this quilt is.

This quilt is very familiar to the quilt I made and sent to the county fair. Alas I did not win any ribbons (stiff competition) but I still like the quilt.

There will be similar blocks but the colors and overall it will be a different quilt. Besides one cannot have too many quilts.

So starting on January 26th I will start the quilt. I know there will be times I fall behind, but that is ok.

It helps to do a Quilt-a-long as I feel compelled to keep up. I would hate to have the quilt police knock on the door.

More to come later.

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