An American Girl in Oz: August 2011

        So, I have been reprimanded, reminded, and lovingly urged to the fact that I have not posted in a LONG TIME! I know this is very true and for that I am truly sorry. I could attempted to explain it all... and give a long list of excuses of why I have been kept so busy lately... but instead I think I will just add some pictures... write a bit more than a list, and blog about it! I am very very behind, so I will start all the way back with our 4th of July.
        I have always LOVED the 4th of July.... I admit it, I am a proud American girl and I was always more than excited to attend the loud parades, watch my kids run out into the road to grab candy thrown at them from people in fire trucks... Going to friend's and family's bbq's and stuffing myself silly with hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, deviled eggs, and watermelon... One LONG hot day each year of baking in the sun (two times when I was 8 months pregnant and coming home to see my face and feet swollen to twice their normal size... not to mention beet red). And of course staying up late to watch the loud and glorious displays of fireworks. I love the 4th of July, it just isn't summer if we don't have it!.....
       Well.... hmmm.... that was my first dilemma.... This year my 4th of July most definitely was not in the mid-heat of summer... but instead the mild coolness of the Australian winter. Honestly... this American could have let the day just pass, like any other day, and no one would have even known the difference.... But I couldn't! I knew there wasn't going to be any grand, loud parades... no flag ceremonies... no firework displays... maybe a BBQ somewhere (as Aussies ALWAYS love a good BBQ!)... but one with "snags and chips"... not hamburgers and hot dogs. But as is my motto! "Where there is a will there is a freaking way!!!!" So I set out to create 4th of July here in Australia...
        First I found our large assorted pack of balloons and pulled out every single red, white, and blue balloon I could find... Then I searched for cool ideas of how to celebrate the 4th and found a great idea on marthastewart.com of putting red, white, and blue confetti into balloons and letting kids pop them to create non-firework fireworks! Did I have red, white, and blue confetti? Nope... but did I let that stop me? NO! So I went searching and found that I had light grey, blue, and red ribbon (the cheap kind you curl and use to wrap presents) and so I cut it up into small pieces and made my own darn confetti!
         I also found some sparklers for the kids at a local shop and the fixings for and "American" BBQ. In the end we invited over Mick's parents and had a wonderful time celebrating our 4th of July...