Stars and Stripes Forever

July 4th is one of my favorite days of the year; watermelon, fireworks, parades, family, picnics, cookouts, what's not to like? Here are a just few photos from the parade. It was so much fun!

{For more photos from the Fourth of July, check out my Flickr}

Drawing in Air

One of my favorite things to do on July 4th is "paint" with Sparklers. The trick is to be fast enough so your drawing doesn't disappear before you finish!

In 1949, LIFE photographer Gjon Mili photographed Picasso drawing in the air with a small flashlight. His drawings were amazing. There's something magical about drawing in the air.

{image via doubletakes via LIFE}

Taste of Chicago

I posted this on my other page, but I thought I would throw it up here also... I spent last Sunday afternoon at the Taste of Chicago with a few friends so, of course, I brought my new camera. I've been playing with it a lot more lately and I can definitely see a difference, though there's much more to learn.

Here are a few of my snaps...

For more, check out my Flickr account

WATERMELON. check. SPARKLERS. check.

I am so excited about the Fourth of July that I can't even think in complete sentences... Watermelon. Golf. Parades. Desert. Fireworks. Picnics. Family. Sparklers. Lemonade. Music. Games. Sprinklers. Decorations. Red. White. Blue.

Miles Away

My friends and I have officially hit that 'grown up' milestone: we're all moving away. Some of us are moving for work, some for med school and some just for the hell of it.

While I welcome the many possible vacation destinations (Phoenix, Chicago, Memphis, Charleston, Raleigh, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Washington DC... to name a few), I'm said that we will no longer all be able to meet for a cup of coffee or a quick lunch. I'm going to miss being able to call up one of my friends for a walk or a midnight movie.

I already miss the closeness.

We all grew so close in college, I'm now worried that the hundreds or thousands of miles between us will change that. I really, truly hope it won't.

Vintage Knick Knacks

My sister always tells me about the great finds she makes at vintage shops and thrift stores. Every time I see her, I swear she's wearing something "new" she found there.

I'm more interested in little knick knacks than clothes. (Though if I could dress like Nora Charles or Annie Hall, I totally would.) This is definitely one of my favorites. I found it at a flea market in Washington DC's Eastern Market.

Not sure what I'm going to do with it, probably just set it in front of some window so I can glance at it as I walk past.

Fourth of July Treats

Every year my dad's family gets together for an afternoon picnic on July 4th. We cook out, drink lemonade, play bocce ball, toss waterballoons, have a watermelon seed spitting contest.... we even put on our own parade. (Seriously. Most years, we even draw a decent sized crowd. It's called the 38th Street Parade.)

One of the best parts of the picnic, besides seeing family, is the delicious food. This year, I think I'm going to try making a new dessert. I've narrowed it down to these two:

Flag Cake

Ingredients

• 18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing:

• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To assemble:

• 2 half-pints blueberries
• 3 half-pints raspberries

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.

Spread three-fourths of the icing on the top of the cooled sheet cake. Outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe. Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.

I serve this cake right in the pan. If you want to turn it out onto a board before frosting, use parchment paper when you grease and flour the pan.

Red, White and Blue Trifle

Ingredients

· 1 box red velvet cake mix, about 18 ounces (if you can't find red velvet cake use 1 box chocolate cake plus a bottle of red foodcoloring)

· 1 (16-ounce) tub whipped topping

· 2 pints blueberries

· 1 pint strawberries, tops removed

Directions

Bake the red velvet cake mix according to package directions and allow to cool.

Using a serrated knife cut the red velvet cake into 1 inch square pieces and line the bottom of the trifle bowl with half of the cake squares.Using a spatula, spread about a 2-inch layer of whipped topping on top of the cake squares.Layer about 1 1/2 pints of the blueberries on top of whipped topping.Layer the remaining cake pieces on top of the blueberries forming a second layer of cake. Using a spatula, spread remaining whipped topping over the cakes pieces.

Decorate the perimeter with the strawberries; placing the strawberries cut side down. Sprinkle the remaining blueberries on top of the trifle inside the strawberry perimeter.

Cute Little Story

He's going to grow up to be a stand-up comic or a politician.

At 1 1/2 years old, my cousin's son Carson is already a schmoozer.

A few days ago, as I was walking past him, I felt a tug on my pant leg.

"Uppie, uppie."

I scooped him up in my arms. He smiled, looked at me, looked at my glass of water and smiled again.

"Cheers!"

His juice bottled taped against the side of my glass before he took a sip.

"Down please, down please."

I set him back on the floor and he strolled away.

Thumbs Up for Movies

I really appreciate when friends offer their opinions on movies I'm thinking of seeing. While I find most of Robert Ebert's reviews entertaining, I usually don't agree with parts... or the entire review.

I trust the opinions of my friends more. So I thought I’d pass on my opinion on a few movies I’ve seen recently. Here’s my thumbs up/thumbs down:

The Hangover: Thumbs Up.

Hilarious, though I'll probably never watch it again, it's a little too ridiculous for me.

The Proposal: Thumbs Up.

It revolves around several clichés, but is funny and entertaining nonetheless. Plus, I'm a big fan of Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock, they both have amazing comedic timing.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian: Thumbs Up.

It's definitely not as funny or entertaining as the first one, but I still think it was cute. I wish Owen Wilson had a bigger part in this movie, his character is hilarious.

Star Trek: Thumbs WAY Up.

This is a very well-made movie. I was worried that a new sci-fi movie would overdo the special effects and ignore the storyline, but they found the right balance. After watching the original movies and television show, I've noticed how remarkably similar the new cast is to the original. I'm impressed.

Maybe I'm too easy on the reviews, or maybe I just lucked out on my movie choices lately.

Sadly, This Isn't Fiction Either

I admit that I have a lot of strange habits, but this one makes perfect sense to me: I refuse to buy a book if the cover is an image from a movie adaptation.

It lessens the literary value. I'm certain.