Around About the 4th of July

It's July 3rd and about as around the 4th of July as you can get without it being the 4th. We're down at the camphouse gearing up for our family Shrimp Boil. However, before, getting too busy, DH, nephews and I went out for a kayak run on the creek. You know it's going to be a good day when you see the eagles out. This is one of a pair that we've had living on the creek for the past 5 years. I never fail to look at one and not count my blessings on living in the GREATEST COUNTRY in this world.

We have one grandson whose nickname is Monkey Moo. My DD and DSIL are in to talk radio, so how they managed to have a child that loves music and dancing as much as MM does is beyond me(truly must be in the genes as DH and I love to dance). At any rate MM got hooked on Garth Brooks and to him, Garth is the epitome of the term cowboy. Last year he told me he needed a cowboy shirt, a rope and a buckle, so for his 3 year old birthday, I decked him out with cowboy hat, western shirt, blue jeans, cowboy boots, a belt with a "buckle" and I even made him some chaps. He wasn't too fond of the chaps and informed me that cowboys didn't wear chaps. I informed him REAL cowboys do. This is a picture of him in full regalia. I had to promise to go on a trail ride on a real horse to get him to get his picture made with the chaps(something I don't plan on ever doing again.)

This is one of MM's birthday week cards that will be mailed to him on his "birthday" week. Do you recognize the paper. It's scraps leftover from my Annie's Hat card of yesterday. This time my image is from a Precious Moments coloring page. MM got his mom a "but tar" for Mother's Day so he has something to play. How perfect is this image for him? I decided to make the denim look like the rear of a pair of Levis and was actually able to find a jpg clip art of a Levi's pocket that I used as my sewing guide. I double stitched the denim with an Orange thread. I also added the same birthday message from yesterday's card to the "bandanna handkerchief and it pulls out of that back pocket. The inside of the card has a clip of a coiled up lasso with the message "Here's roping you have a rodeoing Big Birthday". Cheesy I know, but it will be perfect for a 4 year old.

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to grab the free Word Art posted below. Hope you all have a wonderful 4th, and please take a moment to remember the price that has been paid and will continue to be paid in order for us to celebrate this day.