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$25 Amazon/PayPal -Red, White & Blue Event-WW-Ends 7/7

Friday, June 27, 2014


Hi everybody--it is officially summertime and this weekend is the 4th of July. The perfect timing for another giveaway put together by Lisa of Planet Weidknecht and Bonnie of LeahSay’s Views. As always they have done a marvelous job and have my thanks!

I generally hide out in my apartment on July 4th weekend-I am not a fan of "bombs bursting in air" or on the roads!! Francis Scott Keye wrote what became our National Anthem in 1814. I think this is a good time to remember the words

The Star Spangled Banner Lyrics
By Francis Scott Key 1814


Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!


I actually copied and pasted the above from the USA flag site (I know the first stanza by heart--but the rest?) And if someone could please explain why tears start in my eyes every time I read, hear or sing this song-I would truly appreciate knowing. As an aside I would like to mention that peoples of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths actually worship the same God. It is in the prophets and their teachings that they differ!!

Now on to the giveaway--Miki's Hope will be giving away a $25.00 Amazon GC or PayPal to one lucky reader. But there are others participating in this hop as well (you can find a linky list below the giveaway form!

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Each of the participating bloggers will be hosting their own giveaway with a minimum value of $25.
Please visit the bloggers listed in the linky below and enter for a chance to win each of the prizes!









All opinions expressed are my own honest opinions. For more information please check my Disclosure Statement. Our giveaways are in no way sponsored or promoted by Facebook.

168 comments :

Chelsea Olivia said...

Great giveaway. Thank you!

Mai Tran said...

4 of July is just another normal day here in Finland so work and gym for me. But it's a Friday anyway, so yay for it!

Jackie said...

We'll be going to a big family bbq at my parents' house.
Thank you!

Masshole Mommy said...

My six year old learned the Star Spangled Banner in his class this past year and it's so sweet to hear that song sung by a first grader.

Carla S said...

I will be working the entire 4th of july weekend. The only other thing I'm doing is cooking.

JC Jones said...

Nothing special on the 4th but on the 5th my son and his fiancee are coming for a visit. First time for her to be here.

Sherri said...

I actually don't have any plans yet. Someone in our family usually grills hotdogs and hamburgers so I guess we will go to that.

Carla D. said...

For the 4th of July, I will be going to my in laws for a bbq. Hopefully it's not too hot out that day so I can sit outside and just enjoy myself.

Marti Tabora said...

I will be relaxing at home on the 4th and we will likely cook some burgers and hot dogs on the grill.

Enchanting Reviews said...

The family and I will grill something out and then head into town to watch fireworks. I hope you have a great 4th.

Janet W. said...

On the actual 4th of July we are having a family cookout. We grill hamburgers and hotdogs and eat lots of desserts, too!

Inspiration CAN be found EVERYWHERE said...

Over the 4th we will be having a small cookout and getting ready for a working vacation in Florida! May try a few new recipes for my Tupperware pieces so I will have things ready for drop in visits.

Kelly said...

We will be going to the local fireworks display.

Lisa Weidknecht said...

We will be picking up one of my son's from college to bring home for the weekend. Which means I will be cooking a lot of food over the fourth of July!

steve weber said...

I will be seeing Dave Matthews Band in Chicago.

Anonymous said...

Well, I'm only off the 4th so I will likely grill up some goodies for my dad and I. And then watch fireworks from the porch. That's as exciting as it gets around here :)

monica said...

What a lovely 4th of July tribute!

Natalie said...

For 4th of July this year I plan on grilling chicken outside and participating in a fun run and a parade.

Shelly Peterson said...

Will be spending the 4th at a friends lake cabin bbq' ing, paddle boating and watching fireworks.

Andrea said...

We are planning on having a quiet day at home with the family and maybe watching some fireworks.

Allison said...

I'm going to the Berkshires to watch my boyfriend race his car and also to meet his mom. :)

Kathy Fleming said...

This 4th of July, my trucker hubby is coming home for 4 days. We are getting a small pool and having a big family cookout for all the grandchildren.

Unknown said...

It's definitely a beautiful song! Gives me chills every time I hear it! (July 4 is also my mom's birthday, so we'll be celebrating big time LOL)

Caitlyn said...

We probably won't do much this year for the 4th. Maybe catch some fireworks.

Adriane said...

We don't have any big plans for the 4th of July. We'll probably watch the fireworks from our deck.
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

Joana Bento said...

I think we are going to have a family day and walk around with the kids

Kristen said...

We're going to a bbq at our friends' house.

wen budro said...

We will be having a family outdoor cookout and then watching the fireworks.

Beck Valley Books said...

Hopefully relaxing with the family or going out somewhere nice with the dogs x

Julie Waldron said...

Over the fourth of July we will be having a cook out at my in-laws and we may go to my nephews too.

Unknown said...

spend with my 5 weeks daughter Inshallah :)

Judy said...

We have the whole family over for BBQ and Crawfish Boil.

Kim H. said...

I took an extra day off of work so a lot of relaxing! But also seeing fireworks and cooking good food.

yo8798 said...

we will be helping the inlaws rebuild their deck and then having a great cookout!

Pixel Berry Pie Designs said...

We'll be having fun family time and awesome hamburgers!

Unknown said...

We won't go to the parade. But we'll all be watching the fireworks (you can see t hem from our house).

mail4rosey said...

I think we're having a bbq w/my in-laws. We were going to drive to my mom's in the next state over, but that's been put on delay for now. :)

Cheryl R said...

We celebrate with family, have a picnic, fireworks, desserts, and so much fun!

Linda Romer said...

We will be attending the staten island yankees basball game complete with fireworks. So much fun we were there last year it was great.

Anonymous said...

We are going to go to the lake and swim and have a cookout with friends for the Fourth of July weekend!

Unknown said...

i will be enjoying the day with family and friends and having a BBQ

karin said...

I won't be celebrating it since I am not american and don't live in the USA

samantha wagner said...

The 4th is actually my husband's birthday, so we will do some kind of celebration, just not sure yet.

Unknown said...

Awesome giveaway! Thanks! :)

katy said...

We will watch the fireworks in town on the 4th. The rest of the weekend we will stay home and relax.

Rebecca said...

I will be in California for the fourth. We will be on our last day of vacation.

alona y said...

I'm going to my best friend's house to have a barbeque.

monicaandrew said...

probably going to do fireworks in the yard with the kids

Natasha said...

We will be traveling to visit family and enjoy a day long cookout ending in a firework show.

Happy Gardening, Kim said...

My hubby and kiddo are going to see his parents and I am going to see mine. Splitting it up this time.

Melissa Storms said...

We are just planning to stay home all day and visit a local fair in the evening for fireworks.

Anonymous said...

We will be watching our favorite baseball team on t.v. and get together with friends for a barbeque.

patoct

Anonymous said...

We will be going over to a friends house for his BBQ party. Hopefully watching some fireworks!

Sherry Butcher said...

In the afternoon I'll be going to a Ice Cream social. That night I'll be sitting on my deck watching fire works from a park next door.

Juana said...

My mom and I will be at home watching a movie or two.

Kasey said...

I will be watching the neighbors light their fireworks.

Betsy Barnes said...

This July 4th, we have plans for a cookout by the river. Our son may be coming home that weekend too, so we plan to invite a few of his friends. We usually do a little tubing, then grill and end the day with a few fireworks :)

Elena said...

I will be watching fireworks in San Diego with my family

Pam said...

We most likely will just have a family weekend of food and movies and not much else, LOL.

Unknown said...

I will go over to my sons house on the lake. The entire family will be there. We'll have a cook-out, then watch fireworks on the lake.I'm sure the boys and grandsons will shoot a few fireworks too.

D Burchell said...

Will be working on my Lighter Caribbean Recipes Cookbook
SimplyCaribbean

ken ohl said...

I hope to have a family picnic. Thankyou, ken pohl19@comcast.net

Unknown said...

i hope to bring out the bbq and get some hot dogs and chicken kebabs on the grill! then see some fireworks at night :)

scottsgal said...

we are having a pool party and bbq cookout then going to the fireworks

slehan said...

I'll be volunteering for the Denver Botanic Gardens at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival.
Thanks for the contest.

slehan at juno dot com

Unknown said...

I'll be hanging out with my honey and BBQ'ing and enjoying the sunshine!

Christy Maurer said...

We haven't set any real plans yet. We will watch fireworks and prob get burgers.

Anonymous said...

To us retired people, the 4th is just another day except for the significance, so maybe grill and find some fireworks.

Bonnie Hilligoss - bonnie at bonnieanddave dot com

pippirose said...

I live in Canada, so we celebrate our holiday on July 1. We'll be having a family barbecue and then will go to the marina to watch the big fireworks!

mandala said...

I will be going to the park and watch some community shows. It will be fun.

Unknown said...

We live in a very small town so the parade is kind of the highlight of the 4th. Our grandmother's house in on the parade route, it's perfect! She passed away in December, so this will be the last year we get to celebrate there before the house is sold. It will be a day to remember her as that was her favorite holiday, and a day to be with family.

Unknown said...

Happy 4th of July to everyone. I miss 4th of July in my town... we call it Lumberjack Days.

Amanda said...

I'm not sure what we will be doing during the day but I know we will be watching the fireworks that night! :-)

Anonymous said...

I will bake some pizza with my family !

Linda Meyers-Gabbard said...

I will be sitting at home in the air conditioning with my hubby and out 2 dogs watching TV

Debra (dubbage42) said...

Over the 4th of July weekend we will be hanging around the house and cooking out on the grill. I got a 3 day weekend from work - so I'm going to enjoy it!

Sonya Cocherell said...

We'll be shooting off fireworks this year. Gracie is excited :)

katieoscarlet said...

We recently discovered that we haven't gone to see fireworks in over 2 years so we are definately planning on going thisyear. Nothing with alot of crowds so staying close to home.

Unknown said...

I am planning to go golfing with my parents and brother.

DesiredOne said...

We will be traveling most of the forth then watching fireworks once we arrive to our relatives home.

Unknown said...

I will be having a BBQ and then going to see the fireworks.

Unknown said...

Unless someone invited us to a party, we'll drive downtown and watch the fireworks.

Rachel said...

Traveling to the Lake of the Ozarks for several days

Anonymous said...

We are having a BBQ on the 4th of July with great food and friends and pets.
heather hgtempaddy@hotmail.com

mimilovesall8 said...

Taking a road trip from Texas to Tennessee!

cjabdelnour said...

I will be spending time with my husband and my son, We will cook something on the grill. Cheryl Abdelnour cjabdelnour@hotmail.com

Lulu said...

I'll spend the day with my friends, we'll be having barbeque...

Unknown said...

I won't be working for a change so anything I do ill have to be an improvemwnt!

Unknown said...

We are having family over for a picnic during the day and then we are going to the neighborhood party at dusk to eat and watch fireworks

Michelle J. said...

We'll be watching the parade and having a BBQ!

Tammy S said...

This year on the 4th we are going to our friends house on the river. We will be having a BBQ and doing fireworks in the evening.

andie said...

It will be July 1st here for us but we will be watching the fireworks - we can see them from our back deck!!
abrennan09@hotmail.com

Unknown said...

I will be going to watch the fireworks and attending a family bbq.

Emily said...

We will be out of town this year but I'm sure we will find something to do! We usually go to the big fireworks display in our town.

Anonymous said...

The fourth is a great time for family and friends. Going to a bbq!

Katy said...

We will be watching fireworks at a park with our daughter and another family. I love the Fourth and can't wait to pack a fun picnic!

Anonymous said...

My husband and I are going to spend the 4th of July hanging by the pool and having a BBQ with friends. At night we plan to watch the fire works from our rooftop deck :)

wcaligirl said...

We will be going to the beach with family celebrating the 4th of July.

Elle said...

Well I know I'm gonna eat. Then I'll probably eat. After that I expect I'll eat. As who I will be eating with and what I'll be eating...no idea as of yet. Hopefully it won't be just a sandwich all by myself.

Dede said...

My brother-in-law's 40th birthday is on July 4. Our families almost always celebrate together. We'll eat dinner together then watch fireworks.

Elizabeth said...

I'm hoping to just hang out, enjoy the summer day, and watch the fireworks!

jeanette sheets said...

im hoping weather will be good ,we will cook out with some family members and swim then set some fireworks off at night

Unknown said...

I am thinking we will do a BBQ at the beach, then pack up and head over the fireworks show to see the fireworks

Anonymous said...

celebrating my mom's birthday!

Anonymous said...

I am not sure. Eating, sleeping and spending time with me family. that night watching fireworks.

Barbara Montag said...

We're having a neighborhood BBQ/potluck which will be lots of great food & fun!
thank you

Vesper said...

watching the Wimbledon men's semi-finals and finals

Debbie said...

Our family will go to a neighbor's who always has a huge,day-long celebration.

Tara said...

I'll be enjoying some BBQ and enjoying the pool.

Rose Santuci-Sofranko said...

We will probably just be going to see the fireworks in the next town over.

peg5 said...

hi, parade in the morning, cookout in the afternoon and fireworks in the evening!

NenaS said...

Well, I'm in Canada, so we celebrate July 1st here, I had planned to take in the festivities and fireworks, but instead spent the day sick...food poisoning from a local burger place! Ugh!

Deb PelletierC said...

We may go to the beach, but it may rain. So we may have a summer meal ,like hot dogs and watermelon.Deb P

petchk79 said...

We don't have any plans for the fourth. My parents are visiting to help us renovate our house but they are leaving on the fourth. We will probably just take our girls to the fireworks.

Unknown said...

My in-laws will be coming and staying with us. So far the plan is to BBQ and swim all day with fireworks at night!

Unknown said...

This weekend on Saturday we are going over to my son's grandma's house for a BBQ. On Friday, we will probably stay home since there are too many people to deal with where the city fireworks are set off. We are also getting some things ready to sell on Craig's list and ready for our yard sale the following weekend.

maryjaco1 said...

I will be sleeping in and watching fireworks later that evening.

missprissdismissed said...

we are going to be doing some back to school shopping and we are going to a splash pad!

CindyWindy2003 said...

I think I'm going to my parents house for a family cook out and then seeing fireworks at stadium.

lanie said...

We don't have any special plans, but we'll be enjoying a day off together.

susan1215 said...

I will be having a BBQ with my family and then going to see the fireworks

Shooting Stars Mag said...

On the 4th, I'll be walking in a parade and then swimming. I might go to a cook-out; not sure yet. I work the rest of the weekend.

lauren51990 at aol dot com

Rebecca Orr said...

It will just be my fiancé and I at home this Fourth of July weekend. Our kids went to their older sisters house to spend the holiday with her and her family. My fiancé and I will probably do a small little cookout for just the two of us and possibly go over to my grandparents since they live next door.

Alana Vester said...

I will be hanging out with my family at a cookout and then possibly watching fireworks.

Unknown said...

I will be spending time with boyfriend and family enjoying food and stuff.

Kasee said...

I'm actually hosting a House Party for Hasbro Games' Simon Swipe! After the fun party stuff, we'll head into the hills behind our house in our trucks to watch the fireworks. That's about it, though. It's supposed to be 110 degrees this weekend ... so we'll be inside, blasting the a/c.

Anonymous said...

Bailey Dexter Our family will be crossing the US bridge to spend a family day in the States. Dinner and fireworks later. Looking forward to family time!

Elle said...

We will be having a family bbq although it's supposed to rain so we may have to improvise.

Karen A. said...

Friday I'm just going to be at home relaxing. Saturday and Sunday I'll be at work.

Jill Myrick (jsc123) said...

We had a cookout with family and friends today and then watched fireworks after dark.

jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com

Carissa joslyn said...

Well, we're having a hurricane & the fireworks didn't get cancelled so I wasn't able to go (my ride didn't want to go in the rain) and my mom took my oldest son for the night and we did nothing :/ sadly. it was a very wet 4th!

Unknown said...

Unfortunately we will be working, but we have the next weekend off so it will not be too bad!

Ricky said...

This 4th of July we went with the whole family to the beach! We had ourselves a nice little picnic and went seashell hunting. We stayed around until quite late late into the evening to light up some fireworks. It was tons of fun, and can't wait until next year! =D

Marissa M said...

Unfortunately the rain ruined our plans yesterday, including a family tradition but we are going to a barbecue with some friends today!

Unknown said...

I am camping and hiking with friends and our dogs.

Anonymous said...

I spent it with my eldest sister and her children. We had bbq and went to go see the fireworks.

Unknown said...

I made a different dinner menu last night for the 4th and made dinner (mostly) on my own for the family which was cool to do. Not much else going on except the BBQ we had yesterday. :)

Anonymous said...

We don't have any plans. We are just going to see some fireworks and relax since we've all been sick this week.

Unknown said...

The weather wasn't that great but we did watch the fireworks on t.v

MsJudwah said...

A day of freedom from work to have fun on the computer, nap, eat hot dogs, of course, and homemade ice cream. Oh and watch fireworks.

Karla S said...

just going for a ride,and relaxing at home.
(karla Sceviour)

Rebecca Smith said...

We will be decluttering the house - it feels good to get rid of stuff

Daniel M said...

i'm not going to be doing much of anything over the weekend - godan@comcast.net

Teresa Moore said...

We went to see a parade, hear a band concert and saw some beautiful fireworks on the 4th of July!

Unknown said...

I went shopping all day then came home and BBQ'd for the family on July 4th.

Paol Trenny said...

We had a seafood/bbq pool party for our friends and family. It was awesome and everyone had a great time.

cowboyswife said...

I had the day off so my husband and I stayed home and BBQ'd.

rj7777 said...

I watched fireworks on the beach in Oregon. So many people were having huge fireworks. It was beautiful. Rita Spratlen

Chris said...

Well the weekend is pretty much over, but we had a good time. On the 4th we stayed home and relaxed, and yesterday we went out to eat with friends and had a good time. :)

Kamla L. said...

We're doing our usual hanging out and BBQing with family and friends.

Linda Kish said...

I spent the weekend relaxing at home. I really don't like crowds.

Anonymous said...

I spent the weekend working in the garden and relaxing afterwards.

Unknown said...

I had a cookout with friends and watched a fireworks show

Lesley said...

We watched our community parade and fireworks on Friday, then spent the rest of the weekend visiting family and relaxing!!!

Sherry said...

I worked most of the weekend. I got off on the 4th but didn't do anything but rest.

Linda Trinklein said...

We had a wonderful 4th of july, we spent it with new friends, swiming and cooking out. Ended the night with sparklers and fireworks. thank you!

Unknown said...

I spent the weekend at home with my family. We played in the water, cooked and ate together, played games, stayed up late, and enjoyed a few drinks.

Pink and Green Mom said...

My husband had to work on July 4th so we celebrated yesterday with a BBQ at my dad's house.

Shanna said...

I began my weekend with a job interview, then on to swimming and Fireworks with the family! Spent the remainder of the weekend relaxing at home with the family!

Stacy said...

The fourth of July weekend also happens to be my wedding anniversary weekend. We went out for a nice dinner on Saturday night (Seasons 52 in Tampa) and then on Sunday we went to Universal Studios Orlando to try to get into the new Diagon Alley (which we did!). We spent the morning at Universal, went out to lunch at my favorite vegan restaurant in Orlando, then returned home and watched movies for the rest of the evening.

Ľubaša said...

not sure why I can post the comment . sorry for repeating, Miki - this is last attempt: I ll spent that weekend at home. Doing shopping, tiding and visiting my mom. Lubka K.

Nikki Harvey said...

I spent time with my inlaws on Friday and then with my family on Saturday.

Anonymous said...

For the fourth we had a small bbq at home and saw the fireworks.

Anonymous said...

Our family chose to stay home and watch movies on th 4th of July.

Jasmine P said...

We went to the beach in Port Huron, MI! It was gorgeous!

Tammy Dalley said...

bbq with friends and family and some fireworks afterward

Unknown said...

I went to a family BBQ and then the local fire works show.

rounder9834 @yahoo.com

Charity Cram said...

A family picnic and fireworks at night!

 
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