4th of July Menu Inspiration

I LOVE the Fourth of July! It is my sweet Grandma's birthday and I have fond memories of all of the family having a cookout, swimming, playing baseball and volleyball and eating lots of cake! 

It's no surprise that I obsess over a themed party, and the 4th of July is no exception! I obviously stalked Pinterest for some great inspiration and here are some of my favorites:

patriotic fruit flag

It's no secret that puppy chow has a little piece of my heart, but that was before I discovered 

red, white & blue puppy chow! This fun puppy chow is now my number one festive snack choice! You can't go wrong with puppy chow friends, you just can't. 

I can't get over how cute this cake pop flag is! 

Nothing makes me happier than the sight of red velvet cake bites.... but really.

And speaking of red velvet.. I present to you the most divine and festive red velvet cupcakes out there! These look delicious! 

Oh my goodness, I just can't get over how adorable these mason jar Berry Patchwork Tarts are! 

and how could you pass up a red, white and blue cake with sparklers on top? 

Truth is, you can't! This is a party essential! 

and just when you thought there could never be more red, white and blue, I introduce you to these adorable Bomb Pop Cocktails! Perfect for adults & they can be kid friendly too! 

Straying away from the red, white & blue and ahhing over how delicious these grilled chicken kebabs  look! So juicy and flavorful! If you want to make your guest happy, add these little guys to the menu! 

What's on the menu for your 4th of July festivities? 

Favorite Things Party-Summer Shoes

Today I am linking up with two of my favorites, Andrea and Erika for a Favorite Things party, talking all about our favorite summer shoes! It's no secret that I love shoes, so I am so excited to share a few of my must haves for this summer! 

No joke, I am borderline obsessed with wedges this summer. I could wear them all day everyday. I love these simple black quarter strap wedges from Target.

These cuties come in white too! 

Not only do I love wedges, I love strappy ones the most! Target comes through in the clutch once again and offers these beauties as the perfect strappy summer wedge! 

They come in a fun brown too! 

If you don't find me in wedges, you will definitely find my little feet wearing these....

I love me some Lavinia Slide Sandals! I have them in the nude, but if nude isn't your thing they offer them in white, navy, gold, and black! How could you pass up so many options! 

These floral heels just scream summer! I love wearing mine with a bright pink shirt and white skinny jeans or a solid black dress! They're the perfect pop of color and my favorite summer purchase thus far! 

and as much as the next girl, I love being comfy... and to me Toms are about as comfy as it gets! I love their new releases! These are one of my favorites...

I just adore these cute little herringbone Toms and the hints of navy blue just adds a gigantic cherry on top! I think I need to add these to my closet ASAP!

and I am swooning over how cute these black woven diamond bellas are!!! So casual, yet so stinking cute!

What are you favorite summer shoes? 

Friday Favorites

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Happy Friday Everyone!!! 

The weekend is finally here!!! I am kicking off the excitement with another link-up of Friday Favorites with some of my favorite bloggers. Check out Andrea's blog called Momfessionals, Erika's blog called A Little Bit of Everything, and Narci's blog called Grace and Love. Their blogs are so inspiring and they are a must read! 

Graduation is still a FAVORITE! 

Remember that one time that I dreadfully counted down the days until college graduation. Well it came and it went and I am still processing the fact that I am now officially apart of the Purdue Alumni Clan

 It's been a little over a month since graduating and the feeling is still one of my favorites!!!

Prepare yourself for an excessive amount of graduation pictures... I am feeling somewhat sentimental today! 

My friends, definite FAVORITES! 

What made me love Purdue so much, you may ask? 

Well I hit the jackpot with college besties! We went out with a bang and did some of our favorites! We even took a little road trip to Chicago and spent way too much time taking selfies with the famous, iconic "Bean"! 

Truth is these girls are my absolute favorites. 

Do you ever just sit back and think about how much better your life is because certain people have been apart of it? Well these girls have filled my life with so much laughter, joy, love and support! They have truly made my life richer. 

I spent most of my time at Purdue inside the building in the background. 

I have a hate/love relationship with Lambert.

Ann Tweedale Cooperative brought us all together and that's just one of the many reasons why it is my favorite.

Hunter Rain Boots, Lifesavers & FAVORITES! 

My wellies. 

They have saved my life countless times this month. What's better than cute and practical? Not much! Especially in daily torrential downpours! 

I am kind of obsessing over how cute these pink ones are! So fun for spring! 

Quiet time and Jesus Calling are two of my morning FAVORITES

I am a HUGE believer that quiet time is good for the soul. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by my to-do list and life stressors that I can't just sit still and listen to God. This inspirational pin from Pinterest really resonated with me this week! 

Amen to that! 

My favorite place to enjoy my quiet time is on the balcony of my apartment. 

It's so serene and peaceful.

My favorite devotional to accompany me during my quiet time....

Jesus Calling!!!!

It is my absolute FAVORITE daily devotional. It doesn't matter when I read it, where I read it, the mood I am in when I pick it up, it always speaks directly to my heart, ALWAYS.

Oh, and I can't forget my mini morning quiches!

These are a new FAV! 

These little guys have been such a blessing in the morning! I heat them up in the microwave for 30 seconds and then BOOM! I have a yummy, nutritious breakfast calling my name! 

To find the recipe for these easy quiches click here. 

Thankful Thursdays are my favorite too! 

My sweet bestie Addie and I started a new weekly series, called 

Thankful Thursday!

  

Thankful Thursday's are all about setting the stress aside, forgetting about your to-do list and capturing all of the positives in your life. 

I don't know about you, but sometimes it's easy for me to get wrapped up in day to day life and I let the little things overshadow all of the great things in my life! This series is a great way to remind myself of all that I am grateful for. 

We would LOVE for you all to join us as well! Grab the "Thankful Thursday" graphic & link-up with me or Addie, at She Who Longs to Be next Thursday! 

We are so excited to hear about all of the wonderful things you all are thankful for! 

Happy Weekend, friends! Thanks for stopping by! 

Thankful Thursday

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My sweet bestie Addie and I are kicking off our Thursday with lots of thankfulness! 

Man oh man do I have a lot to be thankful for! I couldn't be more blessed to live the life that God has given me.

I am so thankful for calm and serene nights where I can just relax on my balcony and invest in God's word. Quite moments are good for the soul. Nothing rejuvenates me more. 

I am just so incredibly thankful for date nights with my man. We may be on his dinner break in the middle of a hospital cafeteria, but our date night was filled with lots of laughs and fun wedding conversations! 

I have the sweetest and most creative aunt in the world. Look at this adorable "Happy New Apartment" gift she sent down to me! It just absolutely made my day! I am blessed beyond measure with the greatest family and friends! 

I am thankful for lots of wedding festivities and moments with my besties! 

Love my sweet Addie so so much! 

What are you thankful for this week?

What's Up Wednesday!

Today I am linking up with a few of my favorite bloggers for What's Up Wednesday! On the last Wednesday of every month you answer these questions....

What I'm Eating This Week

I am absolutely obsessed with these mini morning quiches! I prepare them Sunday evening and pop them in the microwave for a quick and easy nutritious breakfast! 

What I'm Reminiscing About...

My Spring Break trip to Disney!


I can't stop thinking about how perfect the entire trip was! I am dying to go back! 

What I'm Loving

Quiet nights to myself!
 I thought it would be super hard adjusting to this whole live on your own thing, but so far I have loved it! I am loving late night TV watching, while snacking on some of my favorites, blogging and painting my nails! It's good for the soul, friends! 

What We've Been Up To

Life has been crazy busy here and we have had to squeeze in date night during Dave's dinner break at work! Nothing like the hospital's cafeteria for a classy date! In all honesty, it was pure bliss! Time spent with this man is truly a blessing! 

What I'm Dreading

On Saturday my future in-laws are all packing up and heading to Bay View, Michigan for a week long vacation! Bay View holds a special place in my heart because it's where David and I got engaged last year...


and every trip we have taken there has been an absolute blast! Here are a few pictures from previous trips...





I am DREADING that neither one of us can go this year!

What I'm working on

WEDDING PLANNNING!!!!!!

Here we are going to get my sister's bridesmaid dress! I love me some girl time with my favorite ladies!

I can't believe we are getting married in almost 3 months!
Time is creeping up on us and there is so much to do and so little time! I am so ecstatic to marry this man though! To read all about our engagement story click here.

What I'm Excited About

This text!!!! 

Another one of my besties is ENGAGED!!!!!!!
Stacie has been my best friend since elementary school and I just love her to pieces!

I will be blogging more about it next week but until then look how incredibly sweet these pictures are...

Melts my heart! 

What I'm Watching/Reading

I am officially obsessed with Gilmore Girls! I know it is old news, but this show is filled with the best one liners! I just can't turn it off!

These two books are currently on my summer reading list! Looking forward to a lazy Saturday where I can lay by the pool and dig right in.

What I'm Listening To...

I love this song by Bethel music! It has been speaking to my heart lately! 

What I'm Wearing..
I am the world's worst person at taking selfies...especially when trying to snap an image of my entire outfit... so here are some under quality photos capturing 'what I'm wearing' lately...

What I'm Doing This Weekend
I am trucking home this weekend to celebrate this girl's high school graduation!

I am so excited to see all of my friends and family!

And just for fun, here is a little flash back to my graduation party over 4 years ago with my grandparents! Two things stick out in this picture... holy short hair and holy burnt face!

I am also attending a bridal shower for my sweet friend Katie! I can't wait to shower her with lots of love! We are both in each other's weddings a little over a month apart! So excited! 

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month 

I have lots of fun little dates and trips planned with this guy next month!  

What Else Is New
Nothing else is really new! Still trying to unpack, organize and decorate my new apartment! More pictures of the finish product to come!

Fourth Of July Plans

The fourth of July is my sweet grandma's birthday! We always celebrate with lots of outdoor games, yummy food, fireworks, and swimming with my dad's whole side of the family! The fourth is one of my favorite days of the year! I can hardly wait! 

I just love this lady to pieces!



Happy Wednesday, friends! What are you up to?