In honor of the 4th of July, I thought I’d list some of the things I’m grateful for and celebrating by using the word:
F I R E C R A C K E R
No actual firecrackers will be launched by me today. That was my past life.
F is for Freedom. Words cannot express my gratitude toward the men and women who have served our country in the past, present and future; who have fought to defend our country and our freedoms. Thank you for doing what you do; for giving your lives in service to others, to our country, to your fellow Americans. Freedom, and having it, is at the core and root of life as we know it and I encourage everyone to take a step back from the red, white, and blue food today and give gratitude for our freedom and remember those who fight for it.
I is for Ice Cream. Vegan Vanilla Avocado Banana “Ice Cream”
R is for Respect. Have some. For yourself, others, the planet, and for things greater than you. Give respect and you shall receive it.
E is for Everything in Moderation. Including Desserts. What is the point of working out, of making healthy lifestyle choices overall, if you can’t have items you really enjoy, every now and then, in moderation.
Whether it’s buying a few new dishes, a fluffy camera strap, or a Fudgy Nutella Brownie with Cream Cheese Frosting, I think living life with a moderate attitude is a beautiful thing.
C is for Caring. Please care about yourself. Care about others. Care about a cause. Care about the world around you, care about children, the environment, the state of the world, the state of your messy kitchen, just care about something. Apathy is so unappealing.
R is for Raw Vegan Coconut Oil Chocolate
The easiest thing to make. All of 1 minute and hardly any dishes. Bonus.A is for Always Living with a sense of gratitude, purpose, compassion, and kindness.
Give a big hug and kiss to your loved ones and always show and tell them how much they mean to you.
Picture from the Taste of Adams Avenue last weekend. We had so much fun!
C is for Cheesy Taco Casserole
Scott was really grateful for this meal.
K is for Ketchup & Mustard Lover’s Protein & Veggie Mash
A healthy dose of ketchup & mustard and make beans, taters, and veggies come alive in a one-pot, 20 minute, complete meal. I am always grateful for condiments, sauces, dips, and dressings.
E is for Everything Will Work Out. And in 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year you probably won’t remember what you were even stressing about, fighting with your friend/partner/spouse about, worried about, or had your undies in a bundle about. You won’t even likely remember what you’re upset about or what you’re worried about. Everything will be fine.
R is for reminding you about my Sticky Giveaway and to enter because it ends on Tuesday.
So there you have it: F I R E C R A C K E R
From my previous few posts, most of you seem to have pesky mosquitoes and bugs to deal with. So sorry for the slap and swatfest.
And I am glad my Console Yourself treats looked good to you!
Questions:
1. What are you doing to celebrate the 4ht of July? or Canada Day Weekend? Or if neither, how has your weekend been?
I’ve been really, insanely busy. And have been doing lots of work. Like hard, physical work, manual labor. Wasn’t planning on a worker bee kind of weekend but it has turned out that way.
We may go out to fireworks, or we may just watch them from our balconies because we can see at least 4 shows without leaving home. <– Which sounds great to me, actually.
We watched them from our balcony last year. No crowds, no parking hassles, no crabby and overstimulated kids (other people’s!) to deal with.
Mine is always an angel. Kidding. But I do think we’ll probably just watch the fireworks from home.
2. Pick a letter and tell me something about that letter that you’re grateful for or celebrating.
I am also going to pick the letter R
R is for Really Good weather. That always makes me happy!
And this red plant + blue vase = nature got festive today
Last reminder for the Sticky Giveaway. Winner announced Tuesday.
Happy 4th of July!
This was such a great post and a great reminder to take a step back and see the positive things in this world.
I’ll choose F for fun! Sometimes, you just gotta have fun. Especially when it seems like the last thing you’ll be able to do.
Fun post!!!
F – F is for finishing up the school year. It feels so good!
I – I is for ice-cream (the creme brulee stuff I bought today!)
R – R is for remembering info from my first reading for an exam tomorrow.
E – E is for easy classes. I am glad that my grad class seems pretty easy.
C – C is for coffee with a friend this evening. I had an iced mocha.
R – R is for rest and relaxation, which I will get plenty of this summer!
A – A is for arachnophobia, which I am convinced I have.
C – C is for cake pops that I have to make for a wedding this weekend.
K – K is for keeping myself busy this summer so I feel productive.
E – E is for eating. I like eating :-)
R – R is for rice which will be in my hippie bowl tomorrow at dinner.
Aww, thanks for participating! I think the teacher in you helps you get into the spirit of these little creative things :)
Your weekend sounds great…coffee with friend, ice cream,making cake pops…nice!
Oh and your last comment re bug bites. Girl. I know, growing up in MN we got these HUGE mosquitoes that would leave welts the size of golf balls…I feel your pain!
I love this post. I particularly love:
C is for Caring… Apathy is so unappealing.
So true. During my Eating Disorder, I cared about nothing. I loved no one, I eradicated all emotions. As I recover, I find a zest for life, love for my friends and family, and most importantly… for myself.
I hope you had a great 4th of July and that things smooth out for you soon. As the saying goes: “Keep calm and carry on.”
glad you got my drift with: Apathy is so unappealing.
YES! I see so many people who are just ‘whatever’ about everything. I want to light a fire, any kind of a fire, under them :)
What a nice idea for a post! I laughed that you used ketchup for the letter k. Love it! Hmmm…I’m going to be really obvious and say that F is for friends. I had a fabulous girls’ night tonight.
Wonderful post, so sweet and great pics.
1. Relaxing at home with stressed out dogs who do not like fireworks. :-) But had a lovely hike in great weather earlier.
2. C for Compassion as we’ve been reaching out to family trying to alleviate stress from their health problems.
I like the E for everything will work out. That’s something that has taken me all my life to learn and I am still forgetting it. Thanks for the reminder.
This was a great and very clever post, Averie. I love that photo of you and skylar!
glad you likey
and your last comment about etsy, neck strap + lens cap holder, I thought of you all the way when i was ordering it!
I love this post and I love you! :D this is o e of your best posts ever.
Thank you, this made me smile, and happy to be your friend. And grateful to be American. Without our wonderful country and the people who have made it this great, this blog and our friendship would not exist!!
Happy 4th of July!
when this comment came in, i was smiling and couldnt wait to reply (about 4 hrs later…lol)
thank you for saying all this
“I love this post and I love you! :D this is o e of your best posts ever.”
The feeling is mutual on loving you and our friendship. Seriously. You are amazing. We WILL meet in person one day. :)
F is for the DELICIOUS Coconut Summer Fruit Salad that I made and brought to my friend’s BBQ today. Sadly, there was none left to take home.. I guess that’s a good thing… but not for my greedy tummy!
P.s. Today was so gorgeous! <3 SD
oh wow that sounds delish!
happy fourth!!! so proud of our troops today too! i’m amazed every day at what they do.
i love your ‘everything in moderation’ philosophy! i am a strong believer that our BODIES know everything there is to know… there is a lot of wisdom in really honoring what your body craves and feeding it with nutritious foods and also delicious treats!
glad you concur with my everything in moderation sentiments!