Friday Fete: Fourth of July

The Fourth of July is such a beautiful holiday. You can probably tell from a lot of my Instagram shots, but most of my wardrobe and the art on my walls is red, white and blue (with pink and a dose of sparkles in the office/wardrobe department).  I love that berries are finally in season and the fireflies are out. Everyone celebrates outside. I seriously just love it all...except the over the top firework displays (Sorry, I think they are a  waste of money for towns and cities who could use the money to help people.). That said... I do have a thing for the tiny snappers that explode when you toss them. 

This year, we'll be celebrating my Grandma's 80th birthday. It's perfect she has a 4th of July birthday: She grew up in the Philippines as the daughter of a Filipino doctor and her mother who was an American nurse. They helped the Americans during WWII both medically and by building and manning a radio station to help the land soldiers keep in touch with the ships off the cost. And to top it off, both she and her father were granted US citizenship through a private bill thanks to Senator McCarthy. It doesn't get much more patriotic than that. 

How to Celebrate....the Fourth of July!

It is hot and humid in July around the nation's capital! Wear a breezy dress like this polka dot version from Anthropologie. Pair it with fun red shoes and bows (just not in the grass). Set the table with traditional red and white picnic style placemats. Bake and chill a berry tart like this beauty from Against All Grain or snag some calorie free ice cream cone bowls.  Freeze the extra berries to use as ice cubes for flavor in any drink.  And of course, enjoy the fireworks, especially the ones in DC like this beautiful image from the daily record's Joel Francis shot. 

Shop the 4th of July Fete Below// What are your 4th plans? 

One super huge additional note! If you are reading Healthfully Ever After from Google Reader, Google Reader is going bye-bye on July 1st! I've switched to reading all of my blogs on Feedly which will move your blog list for you. I think about 50% of blog readers I know have also gone with Feedly while the rest like Blog Lovin'. Just a reminder!