4th of July Get Together!

On Sunday we had some friends over for a little 4th of July celebration. I was in and out of Costco on Saturday morning bright and early because I did not want to get stuck in the crowds and long lines - which were just starting to form when I hightailed it out of there!

In June we were mulling over whether to go to Savannah {our favorite place in Georgia} for July 4th, or stay home and have a little shin dig. Knowing how hot it would be in Savannah {because mercy...it's been HOT here in Atlanta}, and considering we would be out and about the majority of the days during our vacation with the baby, we decided to save Savannah for a time when the temperature isn't at boiling point!

So when we decided on having a little get together at our house, I had fun buying a few festive red, white and blue things in honor of the 4th of July holiday! Pairing new things, along with things that I already had, I didn't spend a whole lot of money on decor. I scored some great things that were 50% off and also spotted, and purchased, some things that were marked down to clearance : )

As I said in yesterdays post {where you can see Ilah all dressed up for the 4th!}, we spent a great day with some of our friends, having lots of fun. We ate, laughed, had great conversations, played games....it was a fun-filled day!

I decorated my table a few days before July 4th....

I re-used some of the vases that were used during our cocktail hour at our wedding. I wrapped two different ribbons around the vases to create the below look....



I changed up the place settings using two different placemat designs and different looks for the cloth napkins....


For a punch of color against the white plates, I placed red chargers underneath them....

Here's a close up of the napkins.....

The other place setting look....


Mr. Wonderful did the grilling....

I bought these corn-on-the-cob holders a few days before the 4th; my husband loved them! So easy to just place the corn in the holder and turn all 8 in one flip!....

I prepped everything the night before by placing a sticky note on the dishes, labeling which food would go where. It saved me so much time the next day.





Our friends Rishi & Michelle brought ribs that she had been marinating for 2 days. Yum!....

Extra plates for seconds....and thirds!.....

Cupcakes that I made the morning-of....

A few other treats that I also made.....

Not a single dessert was leftover!....

I made BIG cookies for guests to take home {chocolate chip, butterscotch chips, pecans, and coconut}......

And when everyone left, I just *may* have had another plate of food! {you know how it goes when you're hosting. You don't really get around to eating}.....

In other news....little Ilah's first tooth has broken through! Pretty soon she's going to be telling us, "Hey, can I get one of those plates of food up there?!"