It’s a hot weekend here to celebrate the 4th of July, but an anticipated short afternoon rain may cool us off for the fireworks tonight. It is expected to be in the mid-70s later. We haven’t decided if we will go downtown to the Music on Main concert before the show like we did last year, or watch what we can see from our veranda. The fireworks are farther away from our home, but we can see 7-8 different shows going at once across the valley. Pretty cool. My Sweet Babboo will be cooking some brats on the grill, and I just had to change the table to a holiday theme.
I got out the melamine dishes that are all patriotic inspired, with white star plates and patriotic salad bowls.
The centerpiece is the tray I usually use for grilling on patriotic holidays, with a red pot of silk flowers topped with some streamers. The tray is flanked by little star sprays from the dollar store. I got them years ago, and they have certainly worked well across all the patriotic holidays for a long time.
The place settings have red napkins held with clear rings. The star plates sit on red chargers with everyday flatware and drink glasses. Individual salt and pepper shakers complete the settings.
The bowls have different designs. One has a blue stripe with white stars.
The other salad bowls have red stripes with patriotic words like Liberty and Freedom.
I did trim my hydrangeas, and cut a bunch of flowers for the little crate. I fill the slots with mason jars half full of water, then add as many flowers as it will hold. I set it on the dining table on top of my Patriotic Table Runner. See that post for the tutorial.
Here’s the other side! Full of blue hydrangeas.
Oliver is back, and apparently has forgiven me for the long absence. Days with no peanut butter sandwiches must have been a terrible thing to endure. Doesn’t look like he’s missed many meals, though. His holiday feast may include the crunchy peanut butter.
Need some ideas for your holiday feast? It wouldn’t be a holiday without deviled eggs, so I’ll have to make some of my Perfect Deviled Eggs for us to enjoy. That recipe has variations and ratios, and is the last deviled egg recipe you will ever need. I won the third place ribbon at the Mountain State Fair in 2018 with this variation with shrimp!
You probably already know what your main course will be today. Whether that is burgers or brats, steaks, fish or chicken, you’ll need some side dish ideas. Grilling veggies with your protein of choice makes a great accompaniment to just about anything. See my post Summer Grilled Vegetables.
Or maybe you need a cold salad to take to a picnic. My Asian Broccoli Salad with cabbage and chow mein noodles is always a hit with pot lucks.
Using some of that delicious summer corn is perfect in my Cauliflower and Corn Casserole.
If you have tomatoes from the garden, there is no better time to make Carole’s Tomato Pie. If you drain the tomatoes all day, you can make it this evening. Or it could be a wonderful meatless main dish for tomorrow night.
Maybe you need a quick and delicious wrap for a picnic. My Ham Apple Wraps just might fit the bill. I have some ham in the freezer that I will defrost today to make these this week.
Dessert is often strawberries on pound cake topped with whipped topping. Easy and fast. Sometimes we do blueberries, too.
It would be fun to give some handmade cards with the dessert if you are having friends over, just to let them know they are special. For this embossing technique, I stamped a strawberry Summer Cupcake on white card stock and used red glittery powder to emboss, then colored it. See the full technique plus another idea for a food theme card on the post Stamping Cards With a Food Theme.
Whatever your plans, with friends or family, or just you and your Sweet Babboo, have a safe and happy Independence Day!!
From My Carolina Home 
Hoping the weather holds for you to enjoy so many firework displays right from your own home…..we are headed to a Balsam Range Bluegrass 4th of July show at Lake Junaluska with some friends from the car club. David is finally up to some outings!!
Your table looks beautiful! I love how you describe it all. Have a wonderful 4th! My hydrangeas are looking good too and you’ve inspired me to cut a couple for inside.
Angelika
Happy July 4th! Your table is so inviting. Here’s hoping you have a good evening for fireworks. Watching several from the veranda sounds delightful. I just finished sewing the star mini quilt, hand stitching the binding now. Fun way to start the day!
wonderful and beautiful table settings!! and the goodies.
I gained 5 pounds just looking at those treats
Happy 4th. It is going to be a hottie today.
Always love your tablescapes. There are only 4 of us this year, but I set a nice table for the first time in a long time. We haven’t been to live fireworks in a long time, either, but enjoy the Capitol 4th on PBS. Not the same as live, but no crowds to manage! I had to buy some hydrangea blooms because ours aren’t ready yet, but looks like we’ll have a good showing pretty soon. Hope you all enjoy what the day brings for you. Happy 4th!
happy 4th – we saw the fireworks from our porch that a neighbor was putting on in his backyard across the road from us – there yard is a distance from us but we can see them as they shoot over his roof. Today it is going to be simple hamburgers and sides for us and I made a blueberry cake yesterday that we will have for desert.
This is the most festive table! I love brats! And that’s a super idea for deviled eggs! Enjoy!
Have a wonderful holiday!! Enjoy the music and the fireworks. We had our big family meal yesterday with hot dogs for kids and brats for the big people, corn on the cob, grilled summer vegs, potato salad, and a lovely caprese salad on skewers for a starter. Strawberries and cupcakes for dessert. 🙂 Off to the park this afternoon for a car show and fireworks, and trying to figure out a picnic dinner.
Happy Independence Day to you, Carole! Your table is lovely. I love the blue hydrangeas, but they won’t grow here. We have the panicle hydrangeas, but they don’t bloom until late August. My holiday bouquet is the last of the peonies. Enjoy your celebration!
That tomato pie is calling my name! But it will have to wait as I don’t have time to drain it properly. But I have all the fixings for the shrimp so that’s going to be my contribution to lunch today with the cookies already boxed up. Thanks!
Your tablescapes have inspired me to do a better job of decorating. How do you store your decorations? I struggle with figuring out how to keep everything together so I can find it again next year! Happy 4th!
I store things in large sterlite containers by holiday. I have a patriotic one for the things I used today, plus a few items I didn’t use. There are two for Autumn / Thanksgiving, one for Halloween, one for Spring, and a whole closet for Christmas. I have a huge basement with shelving to store the containers. Even so, I have purged about half of the stuff in the last couple of years as we don’t entertain in our home much anymore. I kept what I liked most for just us to enjoy.
It’s a quiet 4th for us, but burgers were the food fair at lunchtime. Our capital city has had a Sternwheel Regatta since Thursday, which has drawn crowds of days past to the city. It’s been a much needed, family friendly and safe time for everyone. The Regatta drew a lot of sternwheelers to the riverfront, reviving this event that’s been mothballed since 2004. Happy 4th, Carole.
It is unbearably hot this July 4th. Glad to hear you’re expecting a little rain to cool things off your way. That sweet little fellow Oliver is as cute as can be. Happy Independence Day!
Happy 4th of July! I really enjoy how you decorate your table for all the holidays and just everyday. It always looks beautiful!
HAPPY 4th OF JULY Everything looks lovely.
Marion
Carole, your table is beautiful with the crate of hydrangeas. I hope your day was perfect!
Once again your table looks amazing and I love all the pics……
OMG the food……