Summer Red, White and Blue for Memorial Day

Summer red, white and blue for Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer. Never mind that the calendar says summer solstice is June 20!.

We’ll be grilling with some of our kids and their families. There is even a birthday cake in store for our dessert! How about you?

summer begins

It’s a red, white and blue summer holiday, the first of our country’s annual patriotic holidays. Memorial Day is a day of remembrance. Others are 4th of July also known as Independence Day. Flag Day, Juneteenth, Labor Day and in the fall, Veterans’ Day.

The Stars and Stripes wave from porches and along parade routes. Pools open and grills are fired up. We honor the memory of the fallen from our wars and conflicts. We honor their sacrifice. It’s the real reason for Memorial Day.

The 4th of July is a special holiday too In our county, There are lots of parades and fireworks!

Yes, it is a day of remembrance and a day we can be thankful for the sacrifice made for our country. I think it is also fitting that we can celebrate with happy gatherings and flag waving because we can. We should celebrate and honor those who have gone before us and our freedoms never forgetting.  

celebrations

We been having lots of needed rain and overcast skies. Honestly, I do hope we actually get to eat on the patio. If not, the tablescape is portable!

The small flags are mementos from our son’s baseball team. I can still picture those little second and third grade boys running the bases carrying these small flags in their small hands to Jim, his father who was deploying as part of Desert Storm. We were at Fort Bragg. Everyone knew what that deployment meant even if it wasn’t their dad or mom going.

Most of those little flags are gone, lost during so many moves no doubt. They are stored in the summer holiday bin along with the other rred, white and blue decor.

red white and blue centerpiece

Buliding the centerpiece is first, before setting the table. I’m not not using candles because we are eating late afternoon, well before dusk.

Starting with a large tile from the Home Depot Jeffery Court collection I got during Haven’s 2019 Blogger Conference as a base for the centerpiece, I added mini vasses.. The flowering tiny branches are from a large bush in our yard. I put the flags in the mercury glass lantern style jar. Branches with blooms make easy centerpieces. We have many buses trees adn flowers in our yard. I use all of them at different times for table settings and around the house.

Next I added the painted tall wooden Uncle Sam and the cute smaller 1776 couple figures. There is also the red star salt shaker. The blue one is long gone. The painted heart is a fun piece rounding out the decorations. They are all a collection from my mother.

place settings

When I spied the white woven place mats at Home Goods, I snatched them up, already planning the tablescape in my mind.

After counting out the small red polka dot plates, I realized there weren’t enough so I would need to use the red small plates too. After trying out different combinations of layers and placement around the table, I added the blue fruit bowls. Just the right touch of blue!

The polka dot dishes were a Home Goods find during the Valentine season. The blue dishes are Pottery Barn’s I found on sale at the outlet and have been discontinued along with the red ones. I bought 16 of the white plates at Home Goods. Nice pristine white dishes can be found in many stores at affordable prices. I always have white dinner plates on hand. I keep a look out for pretty and cute dishes for accent dishes at a good price!

I used our regular silver and bistro glasses.

For this tablescape, I decided not to use any decorative napkin rings or colorful ribbon ties. Instead, the simple length wise folded napkin put under the plate leaving half to hang over the edge of the table seemed best, simple and artful. It complemented and didn’t detract from the focal point of the red, white and blue centerpiece. 

Simple and pretty for the first summer celebratory time together!

The whimsical water pitchers added just the right touch of bold red to the setting.  

a day of rememberance and happy gatherings

Yes, it is a day of remembrance and a day we can be thankful for the sacrifice made for our country. I think it is also fitting that we can celebrate with happy gatherings and flag waving because we can. We should celebrate and honor those who have gone before us and our freedoms never forgetting.  

Nancy and her family are coming over. We will be grilling and playing games. If the evening is cool, we’ll roast marshmallows over the fire pit for s’mores.

There is another rememberance tradition many across the nation observe. A moment of silence at 3 PM on Memorial Day.

Give a toast to the fallen men and women of our country. We remember and say thank you. 

Memorial Day food

We’re having the all-American menu of hambugers and hot dogs. It will be Grandpa’s Hash Brown Potato Casserole, vegetable platter, srawberry salad and spinach artichoke dip.

recipe Links

https://bushelandapickle.com/strawberry-pretzel-salad/ https://bushelandapickle.com/fabulous-side-for-labor-day-celebrations/ https://bushelandapickle.com/summer-morning-buffet/

have a wonderful holiday!

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