Happy Fourth of July!

Today is July 4th, which means it's the Forth of July! So, since today we are celebrating Americas independence, this post is going to be a little bit different. I will talk about how my family celebrates the Fourth. It might be a little random, but lets have fun with it! *twirls sparklers* 

The Reason For Our Celebration! 

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved of the final wording for the Declaration of Independence. We celebrate the Fourth of July like a birthday for The United States of America's Independence.

We Celebrate With Daytime Fireworks! 

Fireworks are super awesome to watch! We have daytime fireworks like small parachutes that we chase after. All different kinds of fireworks that spin, spark, fly, snap, crackles, and pops. (And yes we are still talking about fireworks and not cereal!) 

We Celebrate With Good Food And Cake!

My mom, my auntie, and my nannie always make the yummiest food ever! Especially on special occasions! And our tradition is this AMAZING FLAG CAKE!!! The recipe for the cake we always make for Fourth of July is at the end of this post! Be sure to try it sometime! But this cake does come with two warnings: 1# You will have a very hard time stoping once you start devouring it! And 2# My family tries to eat healthy food and this is an exception to the healthy eating rule. This cake is not considered "healthy" at all (even if it does have raspberries and blueberries on top.) But it is so worth a little tiny cheat day! :D

We Celebrate With Friends And Family!

All of Winds of Faith come together for this celebration! We have a blast! (if you know what I mean:D) We also invite our friends and church family. 

We Celebrate With Music! 

I'm not in charge of the music, but I hear we have quite a few Patriotic songs on a playlist that we will play while we shoot off the nighttime fireworks!

We Celebrate With Nighttime Fireworks! 

My dad and uncle have lots of fun shooting off the fireworks, while the rest of us sit in lawn chairs to watch the show! And at the very end, we have a grand finale! Fireworks are just so cool! (Or hot, get it?!?) (I'm really into the jokes today, aren't I?) (I'm not even trying!)

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Speaking of Jokes, want to hear something funny? Something that I get teased about?!

Me: "When is the Fourth of July?" 
Sister: *looks at me funny* 
Sister: "ON THE FOURTH OF JULY!" 

Duh! I know, but let me explain... I was wanting to know how many weeks until the fourth of July. I guess I should have been more specific. Now I get teased about it at my house, and it gets told to everyone else as a blond joke! 

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Here are some Fourth of July quotes/sayings I found on Pinterest...

Here's some Patriotic pictures I found on Pinterest...

Here's some picture of fireworks I took...

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Ok! Now for the amazing, birthday worthy, Fourth of July cake! 

We got this recipe from Barefoot Contessa:

• 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 all-purpose 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

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 18 x 12 x 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.

Enjoy!

What was your favorite quote/picture? How do you celebrate Fourth of July? Do you have family traditions for Fourth of July? How about other holidays? 

 Do you like cake? If you do, are you going to try this recipe? 

Was this post fun to read? 

Are you doing Camp Nano this July? I decided to give it a try! So far it is really exciting! I might end up opening a page to post Camp updates on my writing projects. Would you guys like to read about my Camp NanoWriMo experience? 

Anything big happening this July? Is this to many questions? :D 

Lets talk in the comments!!!