Happy Birthday, USA

Well, another Fourth of July, Independence Day in the US, is about done. It was a wonderful one full of friends, family, and lots of food. We do our celebrating a little bit country style. 

White cake with vanilla frosting, strawberries, and blueberries...made by me! OK, it is from a mix, still, I turned on the oven. That counts for something.

I found the cute pinwheels and flags at W-Mart...all made in the USA. The tires line the driveway.The pinwheels twirl with the slightest gust of wind and every time a car drives in.

The hubby went to the shore for these babies...Brought home about 4 dozen or so. Enough to eat today and make crab cakes later.

I first planned on using paper towels (I never do that, I've used cloth forever) but at the last minute I couldn't do it....so I went to my fabric stash and found some Americana type fabric. Using pinking shears I cut them into squares and set them around a mason jar with flags in it. The tablecloth was red and it looked real cool.  

No get together is complete at the house without the hubby riding people around our driveway on his 4-wheeler.

Around dark we went up the road and watched the fireworks. Parked right next to the in-laws, totally unexpected. More laughs, stories, and good times. A great way to end a fun day. 

Still, as I watched the fireworks, I couldn't help but think about those men and women who risked everything for a dream...the dream of freedom and fought for it. I get all teary eyed (yes, hard-boiled me) when I think about it. I think about how lucky I am to live here...how, even though it's not a perfect place, it's still pretty damn good. 

Post by Eileen Patterson......who is GoofingOff....and proud to be an American. 

Buying Made in America

Maybe the title should be "Trying to Find Made in America." I saw the news shows about buying Made in America and how important it is to do so. I saw the list of companies who are located here in the States, but let me tell ya, finding the items at my local Walmart is like finding hen's teeth (I've raised chickens…no teeth). For all the advertising Wally did about more American made items you'd think there was enough to buy some….hmmm. A few months ago I decided I wasn't buying anything not made here and had to surrender when I couldn't find USA made underwear. It was close to tragic.
After hearing my husband complain that our dishes were ugly I decided to shop for dishes. I had to give it to him, the dishes were ugly….rust stains that no amount of scrubbing would cure…just made them uglier…so I drove my happy a** to Walmart and started looking. Lots of cute dishes but most made in China. BHG…made in China. Pfaltzgraff….made in China. Ugh!!! Finally, I found made in America….Corelle by Corning, the folks who made Pyrex, proudly made in the USA. A pretty swirled red and gray pattern on white and I was good to go. More expensive than the others but…..I guess it's a matter of putting my money where my big mouth is.
Anyway, my dishes are no longer ugly but the story doesn't end there. I stopped in the fabric section and was looking at some military theme fabric….like Air Force, Marines, Army….nice fabric but guess what….Made in China!! I felt like I was slapped in the face. There was Made in USA military fabric about a year ago. All gone forever? Who would think this would be so difficult? Definitely not me. A woman could go naked looking for Made in America……