Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Happy Birthday, America!


~ July 4th ~ 
American Independence Day!

Americans all across this beautiful country
are out celebrating today.
Neighborhood parades are a tradition in US communities
large and small, and as with every year, 
I started my day as a spectator at the annual Tarrytown Parade.
I never miss the neighborhood 4th of July Parade!

It's heart warming to see the hundreds of neighbors,
young and old, who come out on the 4th of July to 
participate in these little community parades.   
Many walk while others ride along in 
decorated cars, trucks, golf carts, jeeps,
wagons, bikes, or scooters as other neighbors along
the parade route cheer the group in the spirit of the day.
For many, the remainder of the day will be
spent enjoying outdoor meals with family and friends,
swimming in pools or boating at area lakes.
Tonight the Austin Symphony Orchestra will present a
concert along the grassy banks of Lady Bird Lake,
culminating with a spectacular fireworks display 
above the beautiful Austin skyline.  

Here at Hyacinths for the Soul
there are no big plans for a cookout or picnic.
For us it's a quiet evening at home, dinner for two,
ending with a slice of our patriotic cake.

I set a table for just the two of us to enjoy
an early dinner out on the terrace.

These two little patriotic chickadees
flew in to join us.

I happened upon these little guys
when I stopped by Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago.

It was hard to resist their jaunty personalities
and the charm of their patriotic costumes.
A mini hydrangea was just right
for a touch of white, and .   .   .

These patriotic Kalanchoes were
the perfect companion.
Both small pots being just right for
my favorite ceramic cachepots in red and blue.

I added some cushions of
red, white, and blue.

Then set the table with a mix of dishes that 
bring to mind the patriotic spirit.
All are set atop my favorite Ralph Lauren 
paisley textile in patriotic colors.

A friend in Dallas sent me these cute little anchor
salad plates that she found at Walgreens.
I reciprocated with the blue plaid dinner plates
that I found at a local grocery here.
All are melamine and perfect for summer alfresco dining.
I also used my MacKenzie-Childs Courtly Check chargers 
and flatware purchased at Pottery Barn several years ago.

Though it may look cool and refreshing,
to be honest, it is steaming hot in Austin today.

We may take flight and move inside where
the AC is thankfully cranking out much cooler air.

Just us two and these cute
little chickadees!


HAPPY  BIRTHDAY
AMERICA!



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Sarah
Sarah

The summer we married, my husband was in graduate school, and I was employed as a teacher. We took a portion of our savings that summer and purchased a sailboat. We christened our Catalina 22, “Hyacinths For The Soul” after Saadi’s poem. Our "Hyacinths" provided years of pleasure.

35 comments:

  1. Love your beautiful table with your patriotic items. Love the little chickadees.

    Hope you had a wonderful dinner. I am not doing anything because my dogs are going nuts with the firework.

    Hugs,
    Mary

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  2. Lovely table decor and patriotic posting!

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  3. What a wonderful table setting, Miss Sarah! The anchor plates look fabulous with the "plaid" ones!!! You have the golden touch of mixing and matching and creating a lovely and inviting tablescape.

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  4. Love this post- especially the cute little patriotic chickadee's like mine! Your love your choice of dishes and flatware! We stayed home and enjoyed dinner and then watching the fireworks on PBS in D.C. and Macy's in NY. I hope you've had a wonderful 4th of July!

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  5. Dearest Sarah,
    Oh, I love your adorable patriotic chickadees!
    Just in time for you to wish you a happy ending of this meaningful 241th Independence Day.
    Sending you hugs,
    Mariette

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  6. Absolutely lovely, Sarah and those chicks are too cute!

    While I was catching up with you, I so enjoyed seeing more of your garden. It's absolutely gorgeous. You've inspired me with your shade garden.

    I hope you had a wonderful 4th :)

    xo,
    rue

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  7. Great images of a great parade and tablescape, Sarah. My favorite at your parade is that of the sweet baby and toddler in the wagon (something about a baby's neck that just begs for a snuggle). Your tablescape is perfect! What cute plates, and boy, melamine sure has come a long way, hasn't it? I used mine too - ones I created on Shutterfly with my garden flowers (a real hit with family - they were each rifling through the stack, picking their favorite flower to eat on, hehe). Those birds are adorable additions to your patriotic collection and RL is always a classic - love that paisley. Glad you get some reprieve from the heat indoors. I was happy we had cloud cover and a few drizzles - it kept our sunroom quite comfortable for company, even in the hottest part of the day.

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  8. Sarah, what a fun parade and I do love a parade. Your table for two is perfect for the day's celebration. The anchor plates are too cute... I especially love the RL tablecloth..

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  9. I love your patriotic table complete with a nautical touch, chipper chickadees and your red, white & blue Kalanchoes! I haven't been to a July 4th parade in years and love seeing all the patriotism on wheels! Stay cool ♥

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  10. Love the neighborhood parade images Sarah, the cuties in the wagon are so sweet. The chickadees are just so cute and i love the anchor and plaid with the MC charger. We wanted to set up outside too but it was just to hot and humid to be out for any length of time. I'm out this morning to get a few things for friends coming tomorrow. I'll set another inside table! Enjoy the remainder of the week. Hugs.......

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  11. Sarah,
    Thanks so much for your visits!! Your Patriotic tablescape is so charming!! I hope you enjoyed your quiet dinner!! I am sure it was lovely!!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

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  12. Beautiful patriotic post Sarah and those wee little birds that flew in are such cuties.
    I love America and I am so proud to call it home!
    Jemma

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  13. Lovely! That parade looks like so much fun..that red white and blue is truly beautiful..on your flag and in your home..those cute chicks:) I agree personality plus.

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  14. Hi Sarah! Love your parade pictures. Your table is so cheery, and the little chickadees are adorable! We opted for inside dining too! It was hot as the 4th of July! haha!

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  15. It is wonderful to see so many people come out to celebrate our country! Love your festive table!!!

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  16. What a fun parade! Love your festive setting and the little chicks are adorable - it always looks like a sweet place to have a meal!!

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  17. Beautiful as usual!! Love it all - and I was glad to hear you went inside so you could actually enjoy the evening! Part of the fun is the decorating. Enjoy it again like at 5 in the morning!! :-) You're an amazing decorator and it's great how you mix the new/old and the Hobby Lobby/MacKenzie-Childs. Belated Happy 4th!

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  18. Happy belated 4th of July!! I love a parade...going waaaaaaay back to my childhood. it was three doors down on a main street and we nearly jumped out of our skins waiting for mom and dad to tell us we could bring the lawn chairs to the corner!! I love your pics, they brought back fond memories.

    Your table for two is charming! You have so many cute dishes and I love the chickadees. I like the anchor plates especially as you can use them all summer long. I guess they would be very hard to find now but there are always similar. I amy be going overboard with my nautical kick at the lake. lol!

    Finally, the Kalanchoes. I find it so difficult to keep them blooming indoors. Any tips?

    Jane x

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  19. One of my favourites patriotic tablescapes in blogland:very beautiful and charming!Love the cachepots and the chickadees!The tablecloth is gorgeous!

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  20. I love your patriotic chickadees Sarah! Hope you had a fabulous 4th!
    Jenna

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  21. Sarah, I love this post. I am a sucker for a parade, so I loved your parade photos! There is just something about a parade that brings people together with such a happy tone! I don't know which I love more, your tablecloth or your flatware!! Both are fabulous!

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  22. Sarah - Seconds after I saw this post I flew out the door to Walgreens to see if I could find these anchor plates. My daughter and her family just bought a boat and these would be a perfect "boat warming" gift! The people at Walgreens thought I was crazy! I even pulled up your post on my phone to show them and they acted like it was nutty to shop for dishes in a drug store. Don't they know we shop for dishes ANYWHERE? Best, Linda

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  23. Your table looks beautiful, Sarah. Love those chubby little birds all dressed up in red, white, and blue. Adorable!
    We missed our local parade this year so especially loved seeing your parade pics. Nothing prettier than an Independence Day parade with all the attendees in matching outfits in versions of the r,w, and b!

    xoxoxox
    Alison

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  24. Sarah, little hometown neighborhood celebrations are the best! I love your little chickadees and your dishes!! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  25. Definitely the cutest little Independence Day tablescape ever! I love your garden. It is so pretty! And I absolutely love your neighborhood parade photos. Our neighborhood has Halloween and Fourth of July parades, and when we moved in, Shelley was in Kindergarten. She turned twenty today, and our neighborhood has aged, but slowly a few young families are moving in and it makes it fun to see the young chidlren.

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    xo,
    RJ

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  26. What a sweet parade. Everyone loves to watch a parade. Love your sweet chickadees. A quiet lunch or dinner for two is charming. You have the most beautiful backdrop Sarah. A lovely way to spend the 4th.

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  27. The neighborhood parade looked like a fun time, Sarah! Your table for two on the terrace was set so perfectly by you. I love those cute chickadees that you found. It's steamy hot in the Dallas area, too, but I'm leaving for Colorado on Sunday with my youngest son, DIL, and Harper. That'll be a nice, cool reprieve, won't it?

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  28. So glad you enjoyed the neighborhood parade for the 4th. The photos are heart warming. Those Chickadees are very cute just perfect touches for the dinner. Texas is warm this week in DFW. Hope you will pop over and follow my Tea in Texas "Patriotic Bear" post and view the unusual patriotic plates!
    Have a grand weekend!
    Pam

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  29. My little hometown does a pretty big Independence Day parade. I'd love to make it every year but its 5 hrs away. We usually just have a big get together here. YES the chickadees are darling.
    Ann

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  30. It's all so festive and fun. Your table looks fabulous!

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  31. Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!

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  32. Your decor is so cute right down to the little birds. A great place to relax and celebrate.

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  33. A delightful tribute on America's birthday, love everything about this post from the parades, Miz Sadie in her little scarf your table a deux and we'll just everything!
    I saw a Hobby Lobby through the car window this afternoon, now if I can just persuade the
    SP to go back tomorrow.......

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  34. Such a sweet setting for two. Love the nautical plates, and of course, the Ralph Lauren paisley!

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  35. I love your table setting! So pretty! Thanks for sharing. You are one of the features at the Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. Here is the link to this week’s bash. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2017/07/make-pretty-monday-week-221.html Have a happy week! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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